Incursion: Homefront
by Hatesolstice
Summary: A life sentence that she didn't deserve left Elsa disconnected from the outside world. After years of imprisonment she gains her freedom, but the world she finds herself in has changed drastically. Her family missing, her home destroyed, and an enemy force that has devastated the world, she finds herself once again alone and desperate. mAU
1. Prologue - A Home for the Gifted

****Hello everyone and welcome to my new project. This couldn't have been done without collaboration with Sweetseptemberswimmer. She's awesome, and you should check out her stories as well.****

 ** **WARNINGS: This story will contain foul language, abuse and torture, drug/alcohol use, rape/attempted rape, racism, and other adult themes and content. If ANY of this bothers you, please refrain from reading as later chapters will become much more mature in nature. This story is one of despair and of the human condition when desperate. I have gone for as realistic a portrayal(well, as realistic as one can get with some magic powers)of what war can do to the innocent. This will be the only warning, as any of my fans will know that I don't typically do author's notes. So take heed. Future chapters may and will contain triggers of various types.****

 ** **One final note: The views of the various characters in this story DO NOT represent my own. Racism and rape are both serious issues, and thus will be treated as such. I do not take this matter lightly, but I want all readers to know and understand that I do not condone any of these things.****

 ** **With that said, please enjoy.****

 **Prologue**

 _A Home for the Gifted_

Peering around the edge of the large, well-aged Douglas fir, a pair of cyan blue eyes scanned the fenced-in yard for their stalker. Luckily there was no sign of them. With as little noise as possible, the small coppery-haired girl skirted around the tree before making a mad dash for the lonely sandbox on the other side. The only obstacles in her way were the large metal slide and red Radio Flyer wagon tipped over on its side. One of the wheels was missing, and it had since been converted into a makeshift barricade designed to impede her progress. Or at the very least, to stop the slavering zombie hordes from invading the swing set.

Ducking behind the wagon, she took another chance to spy the rest of the backyard for her would-be assailant. Nothing. Not so much as a hint of a whisper of sound or movement was to be found. Sucking in a deep breath, the little girl took her chances and ran as hard and as fast as her short legs would allow. What she wasn't prepared for was a large mass colliding with her and the sudden impact with the ground. Pinning her to the ground was an older girl with snowy blonde hair and a victorious smirk on her lips.

"Ha! I got ya!" quipped the older girl. She was situated perfectly atop the little redhead, arms locked into place. She was panting a little, almost as if she had been doing this all day.

In fact, she had been. Ever since breakfast was finished they had been out in the yard chasing and tackling one another to the ground without tiring. It was now past noon and their mother still hadn't called them in for lunch. It wasn't unusual as the girls often ignored her in order to build forts and fight off invisible monsters. Sometimes they'd actually sit and play with their collection of various dolls and horses, but neither cared so much for that as they much preferred their wild imaginations. Anything from aliens to Lovecraftian nightmares, whatever they could conjure up in their young and fresh minds was their plaything.

After a few brief seconds, the younger girl became impatient and annoyed with her sister. "Okay, fine! You win, Elsa! Now get off!"

Knowing her sister could be a sore loser, Elsa reluctantly stood up and laughed. "How many times is that now?" Mocking her was something Elsa had taken to early on, though she only meant it in jest. She was never cruel or mean about it, at least not intentionally. But she did know how to rub her sister the wrong way, which wasn't hard to do to a five year old.

"I dunno. Like a hundred?"

Giggling, Elsa rolled her eyes at her little sister. "No, Anna, not a hundred. That's silly."

"Well, I don't know! Besides, you cheated," Anna proclaimed as she folded her arms and stuck out her tongue. She had a tendency to be stubborn, which she got from their mother.

"Whatever. What do you want to play next?"

Anna thought hard for a moment, or at least as hard as a five year old could think. Her favorite game involved robots, zombies, and pirates, but she also really liked just playing on the swings. Torn between the two, she simply shrugged her shoulders in response. Then she had a great idea.

"Oh, I know! Let's pretend we're on a spaceship!"

Shaking her head in confusion, Elsa blinked and stared blankly at Anna for a second before responding. "How are we going to do that?"

Pointing high into the air, Anna indicated the lonely fir tree nestled in the corner of the yard. "That's our spaceship."

As they walked over towards the tree, Elsa became increasingly unsure of the whole thing. She didn't like heights to begin with, and climbing trees was something she dreaded. The last time she had climbed one, she fell and sprained her ankle and ended up with several bruises. "I don't think this is a good idea Anna..."

The little redhead simply waved her sister off, only half-listening to her. "It'll be safe Elsa. Just climb like I do." Without waiting for a response, Anna ran to the tree and jumped, barely catching the lowest hanging branch and pulling herself up. "Come on Elsa! Hurry up!"

With a heavy sigh Elsa trudged her way to the tall fir. Looking up, she started to feel a little dizzy and the pit of her stomach started to ache, but she ignored it at her sister's behest and began her ascent. Every time a branch creaked or snapped, she panicked and froze in place and yelped. Then she noticed how much higher Anna had been able to climb. She wasn't about to let her sister get all the way up the tree without her.

By the time she caught up to Anna, they were roughly halfway up the length of the tree. Looking down proved to be a big mistake, as vertigo set in and she nearly lost her grip on the branch she was leaning on. "Anna, can we please go back down? I'm scared."

"But we just got here!" Anna announced excitedly. She was sprawled out on a couple branches and had big grin on her freckled face. "We need to go to the moon!"

"I don't want to go to the moon. I want to get down."

Getting annoyed with her sister's behavior, she gave out a little huff and grew slightly impatient again. "No, Elsa. We're going to the moon. Put on your space suit."

"Anna, I'm going back down. I'm scared and you should be too."

This time she was completely agitated with her older sister's cowardice. "Okay, fine! If you're so afraid we can go back down."

Without hesitation, Elsa began weaving her way back down through the jumble of branches. Every now and then one would snap under her feet, and she'd panic as she grabbed for another branch to hold onto. Her sister seemed to have no problems to speak of. It quickly became a race to the bottom, or at least it did for her, and soon she was only a few branches away to freedom.

She hadn't noticed that she left Anna so far behind, and when she looked back up she saw that her sister was tangled up by a couple of smaller branches and offshoots. The little redhead began to fuss, which soon turned into frustration.

"Elsa! Help! This stupid branch won't let go!" she cried. It was clear that she was on the verge of tears.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa begrudgingly pulled herself back up into the spider web of branches. "Alright, hold on! I'm coming!" Doing her best not to look back down, she slithered her way back through the mess of limbs that slowly spiraled back towards her baby sister.

Then there was a loud crack. Then another. Elsa stopped where she was and gripped the tree tightly, looking around to see what branch had broken. When she found none, she looked to where Anna was and saw that the smaller branches holding her up had started to snap off. She was only holding onto a single limb, which was bowing and bending under her weight. Seconds later, it too snapped and fell, and she fell with it.

Terrified, Elsa did her best to react in time. Reaching out as Anna tumbled nearby, she tried her best to catch her until the limb she was on snapped as well. Stumbling forward just a little, she threw out her hand towards her sister in a panic. But then something impossible happened.

A ball of glowing energy shot from her hand and hit Anna in the head as she landed on the ground below with a sickening thud. "Anna! No!" As fast as she could, Elsa scrambled back down the length of the tree, not caring if she fell or not. When her feet hit the ground she was instantly at her sister's side screaming for her parents.

"No! No no no! Anna! Mama! Papa! Please help!" she cried as she cradled Anna close in her arms. Seconds later the backdoor flew open and their parents were quickly at their side, and then everything became a blur.

00000

The beeps and blips of machines, the muffled and crackling voice over the intercom, and the hushed whispers of the adults kept Elsa from being able to focus on any one thing for long. The hustle and bustle of the nurses in the ER was enough to make anyone dizzy, and she swore she met twenty different people in just as many minutes. She was starting to get a little worn out introducing herself. Luckily they were only interested in her as a courtesy. They quickly ignored her afterwards.

Try as she might, Elsa could only think of two things: her sister's fall and what came out of her hand. At first she thought she imagined it like they did so many times before, but the doctors and her parents were all baffled by how cold Anna's head was. It was like she had no temperature at all, although she was completely alive. At least that's what Doctor Adams said. From what she was always told, doctors never lie about stuff like that; they have to tell the truth. She always liked going to the doctor because hers was so nice. But none of that helped explain what had happened.

When her parents finally sat down and rested their hands on her back and lap, she felt a little relieved. She didn't know why, but she felt she needed comforting just then. She hadn't allowed herself to cry yet, but for some reason she started to sob and sniffle, drawing sympathetic looks from both of her parents.

"Elsa, sweetie, it's going to be okay," her mother said in a soft tone. "The doctor said the fall wasn't that bad. She's just really bruised up, and when she wakes up she'll just have a tiny headache."

Wiping her eyes and nose on the sleeve of her coat, Elsa looked up and glanced at her sister. She was completely still, like in death, and had a tube filled with a clear fluid attached to her arm. She also had a bunch of these little white round things with wires hooked to them all over. It was like a nightmare. "It's my fault. I left her in the tree. I'm the one who hit her in the head with my powers."

Sighing, her father lifted her up and placed her on his lap, then wrapped her in a hug. "This isn't your fault. It just happened. And you didn't hit her in the head with any powers."

"Yes I did! Why do you think her head is so cold?"

"Because there isn't enough blood going to her brain."

Hopping down from her perch, Elsa looked back up at her father and grew incredibly frustrated. "You never believe me! I do too have powers! And I hurt Anna with them!"

Before either of her parents could respond, the doctor entered the room and was followed by what appeared to be another doctor in a white lab coat. The man didn't look at all friendly to Elsa, not like the other doctors. There was something different about him; he didn't look like a normal doctor. He didn't have that thing around his neck that let him listen to your heart, and he had several needles sticking out of the front pocket on his coat. This scared her a little, and she slowly backed away to seek refuge behind her father who had stood up.

He looked concerned. More so than he had earlier, and that was only a little bit ago. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting Mister and Missus Forester, this is Doctor Harvey. I thought it pertinent and prudent to bring in a specialist for this case."

Without a word the man walked right past everyone and stopped next to Anna's bed. Leaning over her, he felt her forehead with his hand, the opened her eyelids with his thumb and flashed a small light at them. Next he looked in her ears, fiddled with her hands, and kept speaking in low tones to himself. He did this for several minutes before turning back to acknowledge Elsa's parents.

"It would seem your daughter's head has been frozen from the inside. Now, you don't need me to tell you that that is physically impossible, especially given the circumstances. So I'd like to know if there are any details you have failed to mention until now." He sounded rather serious, and seemed a little rude. The man just creeped Elsa out.

"Absolutely not. We've told you everything we know," her father responded. He sounded a little upset, and she thought that maybe he didn't like the man either.

If he was angry, the man didn't seem to notice. "I see. Well, I can't explain away any of this right now. Now, I have a few serums I can try to warm her back up, which should hopefully bring her out of the coma. But I cannot proceed without your consent."

Her parents looked at one another and started talking real quietly again. This frustrated her because she didn't like being left out of everything, especially considering it was her baby sister they were talking about. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Do whatever you have to in order to save our little girl." Her father sounded like he wanted to cry. Elsa had never seen him like that before.

"Excellent," the man said as he leaned back over Anna and started poking her with the needles from his pocket. She managed to count three, but she was sure he used more than that. Whatever he did, it only took a minute before he stood back up. "There. It should only take a short time for these to take effect. I'd say thirty minutes, tops. In the meantime, I do have one question for you."

"Of course, whatever you need to know," her mother responded. She had been oddly quiet through most of this. Normally it was her father that did all the talking.

Though brief, there was a hint of a smile on the man's face for just a second before it was gone. Then it was back to that stoic, unrelenting gaze. "Who was present with Anna when this happened?"

With a worried glance, her mother looked to Elsa before responding. "Just her sister. They were climbing in a tree in our backyard, something they know they're not supposed to do." That last part made Elsa wince a little.

"May I speak to her?" he asked in a rather demanding tone.

Her parents gave each other that look again before finally agreeing to let him question her. She was petrified to talk, and it didn't help that the man was still looking at her with that lifeless stare.

Kneeling down, he got to right about Elsa's height before speaking. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Uh... E-Elsa."

"Elsa, can you tell me what happened?"

Panicking, she did her best to try and remember everything that happened. She didn't really want to think about it, but the man asked her and she had to tell him. "We were climbing the tree in our backyard and got really high. We could see over the house. Then I got scared and started climbing back down. I got to the bottom before Anna did, and then I looked back up to her and I saw she was stuck. So I climbed back up but didn't get there fast enough. The branches holding her up broke and she started to fall down. I tried to catch her, but something came out of my hand and hit her in the head."

The scary man looked at her totally perplexed. "Something came out of your hand?"

"I didn't mean to!" she pleaded. "It was an accident! I'd never hurt Anna! It just happened and I don't know why! Please don't take Anna away!"

This time the man did smile, and Elsa found it to be very creepy. It reminded her of the clowns from the circus. She hated clowns. "No one is taking Anna away. Now then, what came out of your hand?"

Ashamed, Elsa looked down at the floor and sniffled. "Magic," she whispered meekly.

There was silence for several moments as the man considered her. It was unnerving the way he watched her. She could feel his eyes on her, not blinking or wavering in any way. The longer he stared her down, the smaller and more uncomfortable she felt. She began playing with the end of her ponytail out of nervousness; anything to distract her from that gaze.

Finally he stood, pulled out a notepad from one of his pockets, and began scribbling in it. He only stopped for a brief moment to look at her. "How old are you, Elsa?"

"I-I'm eight."

"I see," he said as he resumed writing. Whatever it was he was writing down, Elsa assumed it must have been important. "How many times has this happened to you?"

Before she could answer, her father got visibly agitated and pointed at the man. "You are not going to make her believe she has any special powers. We've been doing our best to curb this nonsense, and here you are leading her on! What are you trying to pull?"

The man didn't even bother looking up from his notepad before responding. "Mister Forester, what would you say if I told you that there are in fact other children like Elsa? Others that can do what she can. Others that I help rehabilitate and teach to control their abilities. What would you say to that?"

"I'd say you're fucking insane and can get the hell away from my daughter." Elsa had never heard her father talk like that before to anyone. He almost never used that kind of language, and from the look her mother shot him, she didn't like that he had.

"That's unfortunate, because it is entirely true. We have a facility on the southern outskirts of the city just off of I-5 and we specialize in helping children just like Elsa. Her sister's condition is no coincidence. It is physically impossible for that to happen naturally. The only logical explanation is that Elsa is telling the truth." The man had finally put down his notepad and was speaking directly to her father, who still looked a little angry.

"So what are you suggesting?" her mother asked nervously. "That we send Elsa away to this rehab center to do what? Get better? How do we even know she really does have these freak powers?"

The man looked at her for a moment before returning his attention to Elsa, who was now scared out of her mind. "Elsa, can you tell me what you felt when you used your magic?"

"I, uh, I don't know. Scared mostly, and my arm tingled a little. But I didn't do it on purpose!"

"I know you didn't," he said, this time a bit more gently than he had before. "So your magic comes out when you're scared?"

Elsa couldn't peel her eyes away from her feet. No matter what, she couldn't bring herself to look the man in the eyes. "I don't know. It's never happened before."

"Could you do it again? Right now?"

She looked up and simply shook her head. _Is he going to take me away?_

"Well that's unfortunate. Still, I recommend you consider our facility and admitting her there for treatment." He turned his attention back to her parents, who now looked more worried than angry. "If it turns out that she really is just an ordinary child, then her visit is at no cost to you or your insurance."

Both her parents were silent for a moment before turning their attention to her. Her father placed a shaky but reassuring hand on her shoulder and drew her closer. "Look, I don't know how we're supposed to take this. You're claiming our daughter can do something that is impossible. Now you're offering to help her with a problem that doesn't and shouldn't exist?"

A shiver shot down Elsa's spine, and she suddenly felt cold. She was afraid, more so than she had been to begin with. It wasn't fair what was happening, to either her or her sister. All they wanted to do was play, but these newfound powers had to go and ruin everything. She couldn't understand why this was happening to her. She never asked to have powers.

Then she realized that everyone had grown silent. When she came out of her thoughts, she saw that they were staring right at her. Her parents looked shocked, but the strange man had a smirk on his lips that was rather unsettling. "Well," he said, "it would seem that she is indeed special."

Looking back and forth from her parents to the man, Elsa looked down at her feet to see a layer of ice shooting out across the floor in every direction. The crystals would jut upwards and form tiny needles here and there, and it sparkled oddly under the fluorescent lights. Her eyes widened and she gasped; there was no way this was real.

Quickly she started panicking and looked back up at the others. "I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to!"

"Elsa, sweetheart, it's okay," her father reassured her. "No one is mad, only surprised." He chanced a quick glance at her mother before returning his attention to the man. "I think we'll be needing some more information on this facility of yours, Doctor Harvey."

00000

Elsa never knew just how big the city was until they had to drive towards the freeway from the north side. With all the one-way streets and detours due to roadwork, there was a lot of backtracking and getting stuck in heavy afternoon traffic. They had been on the road for half an hour already. At least she had her mother's cellphone to play with.

Arendelle was as big as, if not bigger than, Seattle. Her favorite place was the waterfront and the marketplace. It wasn't as good as Pike's Place market in Seattle, but it still had some really neat stuff. There was a knickknack shop that had all sorts of weird little trinkets, and a store with all kinds of imports from out of the country. Her favorite, though, was the novelty shop. She loved everything, from whoopee cushions to wands that shot out fake flowers to little hand buzzers. The only downside was the whole market smelled old and dusty, and the stench of fish fresh off the boats was heavy. Still, it was one of her favorite places in the city.

As the trip dragged on, Elsa tried to imagine what exactly the place was going to be like. Since the only places she's ever seen doctors at were at the clinic or the hospital, she had no idea what a rehabilitation center was. She was quite nervous over the whole thing, but the one thing she wished for was for the facility to have a playground. She loved the swings back home and at school. The freedom she felt when she swung up high, and then the sudden lurch in her stomach from the descent was thrilling and fun. The best part was the challenge of going higher and higher with every swing.

Eventually the city began to fade from view as the rich greenery of the Pacific Northwest sprawled out everywhere and Mount Rainier's snow-capped peak appeared in the distance. It was picturesque, like the photos you'd find on postcards. The sky was clear except for the cloud ring snuggling against the peak of the mountain. It was late spring, so the clear and warm weather was a little unusual. It saddened Elsa a little, as it was a perfect day to be outside playing.

The car ride was mostly, quiet except for the talk radio her parents liked to listen to. It was usually the news, but Elsa paid little attention to it. They always talked about things she didn't understand. She liked the radio station that played the rock 'n roll music, but her mother didn't want her listening to it; her father always let her listen to it when he drove her to school in the morning. She didn't know any of the bands, but there were a couple songs she really liked. A couple her father said were something called metal.

She came out of her thoughts when the car slowed down and turned into a driveway just short of reaching the freeway. There was a large stone sign with a water fountain in front of it that read "Langdon Rehabilitation & Recovery Center" in stylish metal letters. The building that came into view was huge and several stories tall. It was the color of sand, like the kind you'd find at the beach, and had a sort of welcoming appeal to it. The lawn outside was green and well-kept, and the little Japanese maples that were planted in the middle were a lovely shade of pink and bright red. The only thing she didn't see was that playground she had hoped for.

As her father gathered her things from the trunk of the car, her mother held her hand tightly but reassuringly as they guided her to the large double-doors that led into the main lobby. Inside was almost as welcoming, with white fluorescent lighting that was dim enough to set a calming mood, and a bunch of ferns and other plants that lined the walls in clusters. The waiting area off to the side had several benches and chairs facing a large flat-screen TV, and there was an aquarium with some really pretty fish that Elsa didn't recognize. The lady sitting behind the front desk was busy talking on the phone and paid no attention to them as they approached the counter.

After waiting several seconds, her father cleared his throat just enough to get her attention. When she finally said goodbye to whoever she was talking to and hung up the phone, she turned towards them and smiled as if she wasn't suddenly interrupted from a very important personal call on company time. "Hello, how can I help you?" she asked, a little rudely Elsa thought.

"We're the Foresters. We made an appointment with Doctor Harvey." Her father didn't seem to notice the lady's attitude, or he simply ignored it.

"Right. Of course. He's expecting you. Take a seat and I'll let him know you're here." With that, they were dismissed as if they weren't even there, and so they found a spot near the windows to sit down and stare outside.

Elsa's stomach started to sour the more she thought about being there. From what her parents had told her, she was going to be staying there for a while so that Doctor Harvey could help her with her powers. They also said they had no idea how long "a while" was going to be, and she didn't like the sound of that. The only good part about all of this was they were allowed to visit her on the weekends, which she was thankful for. She really didn't like the idea of not seeing Anna every day though. That was going to be the hardest part.

After what felt like ages a nurse came out and gathered them up. As they followed her through the hallways, she looked around and didn't see any other kids. The only people she did see where more doctors in lab coats and nurses. None of them paid any attention to them, and she was pretty sure that the temperature dropped several degrees the further they went. Eventually they stopped in front of an empty room with a bed and wooden dresser against the far wall.

"This will be Elsa's room, so you may go ahead and put her things away. Doctor Harvey will be here shortly." Then without another word, the woman left them there.

Her parents set to work putting her clothes in the dresser and her favorite stuffed animals on the bed. She had a couple books that she liked to read, and the handheld video game device they had bought her for her birthday the year before. She hardly ever used the thing, but that was mostly because she only had two games for it, and neither were all that fun anymore.

It wasn't long before everything had found a home, and she sat on the edge of her bed kicking her feet nervously. Her parents sat next to her and tried comforting her, but she mostly ignored it. It was their fault she had to stay there, after all. She was a little angry with them. But luckily she didn't have to dwell on it long as Doctor Harvey arrived and had the biggest smile she'd seen on him yet.

"Elsa, I am so glad that you'll be staying here with us. The other kids are busy right now with classes, but once you get a chance to meet them, I'm sure you'll fit right in." There was something strange behind the way he was talking, but Elsa couldn't figure out what it was. "I hope the drive here wasn't bad."

"No, just longer than we expected," her father replied. "This is a fancy place you've got here. Are you absolutely sure that this will help Elsa?"

A smirk crept across Doctor Harvey's face, and Elsa was pretty sure he was talking directly to her. "This facility is the most hi-tech of its kind in the country. It is also one of the best research centers there is. We're going to find out everything there is to know about Elsa, and she will become the best she can possibly be while she's here. We'll take great care of her, I promise."

This seemed to be enough to reassure her parents. After a couple handshakes, they turned to Elsa and gave her lengthy hugs and kisses before saying goodbye, leaving her there all alone with Doctor Harvey. After they were shown out, the nurse from before returned with a syringe in her hand.

Doctor Harvey stared straight down at Elsa, his face completely expressionless. "Dolores, call security for me. Tell them to ready cell block four for a new arrival. We don't want another specimen to get loose like last time."

The last thing Elsa remembered before everything went black was the needle stabbing her in the neck.


	2. Chapter 1 - Thirteen Years

**Chapter 1**

 _Thirteen Years_

The sound of her feet hitting the asphalt of the old freeway was nearly deafening. Her lungs burned from the warm summer air, as she was unused to being outdoors. The serenity of the trees and sunshine was wasted on her as she was fixated on reaching the city. If she could do that, she'd be safe. If she could manage to get back without getting caught, she could find her family. Provided they still wanted to have anything to do with her. They hadn't come to see her in several years. For all she knew, they had washed their hands clean of her.

She couldn't think like that; at least not right now. Right now, she needed to escape. She needed to get as far away from that place as she could, and find refuge from the ones pursuing her. The only place she's ever known, besides the four walls she's lived within for the last thirteen years was the city itself. Arendelle was once her home, and hopefully it would be again.

Her hair was plastered to her face and neck, the thick sweat stinging her eyes. She had been running for what seemed like hours, and she was starting to tire. Behind her, she could hear the shouts of her pursuers, though she couldn't understand a word they said. All she knew was that she had to find somewhere to hide. There were the woods, but she didn't think that would work. It wasn't like she had planned it all out, and she had no idea how to survive on her own. Getting lost in the hills would do her no favors.

The freeway eventually came to an overpass, beneath which another two-lane road ran off into the distance. It had been so long since she had first been taken to the facility that she didn't remember any of the surrounding area. The last time she came through here, all she saw was trees. _Maybe I don't remember things as well as I thought._ Chancing a glance back down the road, she didn't see anything or anyone. She knew there was no way she had outrun them, but they weren't there. Where they were, she had no idea. She could still hear them in the distance though, and that was enough to drive her on.

Jumping over the railing on the side of the road, she ran down the concrete slope that angled downward to the roadway below. Then she saw the perfect place to hide. The underside of the bridge had several pillars holding it up on either side of the road. Without a second thought, she climbed as far back as she possibly could until she was in the shadows under the bridge.

The sounds above slowly faded, and the shouting disappeared. _Maybe they think I'm in the woods_. She hoped that was the case, because she needed a few minutes to rest before setting off again. The sound of her panting echoed slightly, and she feared that someone might hear if they came close enough. As she attempted to rein in her breathing, her memories of that morning came rushing back to greet her.

 _The morning started off the same as always. At 6 o'clock the lights were turned on and the guards came around to wake everyone up. It was particularly cold that morning, and it didn't help that the floor was concrete. It didn't really bother her though; it never did._

 _At 6:15, the electronic locks on the cell doors clicked and the doors slid open, giving them the only taste of freedom they'd have all day. Shortly after, they were ushered down to the shower rooms like cattle being herded into a corral. No one was allowed to speak, and if they did they were quickly reminded how that was against the rules, usually physically. That was something she had learned early on._

 _Once showers were done and they were dressed in their uniform gray jumpers and uncomfortable boots, they were led to the cafeteria for a breakfast of greasy, tasteless hash browns and some slimy substance that was supposed to be scrambled eggs. They were given fifteen minutes to choke their food down before being split up and taken to the various corners of the complex._

 _That morning it was her turn in the lab. This was her most feared activity, as it usually was quite painful. Doctor Harvey took great pleasure in administering torturous experiments to the test subjects, no matter how much they screamed or bled. She learned a long time ago just how sadistic the man really was. There were plenty of scars to prove it._

 _As she entered the room, she saw the man standing in the back speaking to one of the assistants. He didn't always have so many, but a few years ago, the staff was changed. A bunch of people that had strange accents and spoke in a language she didn't understand joined the team. They proved to be just as cruel as he was, although one lady did show a tiny hint of sympathy every now and then. She wasn't sure how genuine it was though._

 _The lab itself was a terrifying environment, at least in her mind. Everything was gunmetal gray and made out of cold steel. The consoles and computers were the only pieces of equipment that didn't have some sort of horrific attachment or apparatus at the end of them. There were hoses and tubes everywhere, and the lights were blindingly bright above the operating table. The room as a whole was unwelcoming and frigid._

 _Eventually he noticed that she had entered the room. "Ah, Elsa, you're here. Perfect. We have a very special test for you today." He had what she could only describe as a maniacal grin on his face._

 _Elsa didn't say a word; she never did. She hadn't spoken to the man in nearly ten years. He didn't seem to care though. Doctor Harvey always had plenty to say for the both of them. All she needed to do was take a look at the table at the center of the room to know just what he had in mind. Some sort of excruciating surgery, or a blood transfusion, or some other crazed experiment the man imagined up. His creativity never ceased to amaze her._

 _Barking orders at the assistants and nurses, they led her to the table and forced her down onto it. She stopped resisting ages ago; there was no point to it. Elsa didn't particularly care what happened to her anymore. They'd already taken her childhood, innocence, family, and desire to live away. It was as if it was all dashed upon the jagged rocks at the bottom of a cliff. Like so many of the others, her will to live was gone._

 _Once she was strapped down, they began attaching IV hoses filled with various liquids that she didn't know the names for to her arms. Then there was this large mechanical arm with a tube at the end she'd never seen before that hovered directly above her head. She stared at it for several seconds before she noticed she was being watched._

 _"Fascinating, isn't it?" Doctor Harvey asked joyously. "It's something our benefactors recently thought up, and this is the first prototype. We're hoping it'll work better than expected. Care to see what it does?" With a motion to someone out of her field of view, she looked back up at the tube just in time to see a large needle shoot out at an alarming speed. The action startled her, and she started to feel incredibly uncomfortable. "That should allow us to do things we haven't even bothered with before due to the high fatality rate. Don't worry; it won't do any damage to your eye. It's small enough that it won't do anything more than feel some mild pressure. Unfortunately, you have to be awake for this procedure, so you'll have to remain perfectly still."_

 _"Once it's safely penetrated the ocular cavity, it will release a hormone we believe is the trigger to your powers. After all these years we are finally on the verge of a real breakthrough. Yes, you'll feel a little strange after this is all over, but think of the possibilities! You will be our most successful project! You will be the one to advance this science beyond our wildest imaginations! And you, you shall become the most powerful weapon we've ever seen. The others? Most of them pale in comparison to what you can do. You should feel excited and proud about this."_

 _He turned and started walking back over to the consoles on the far side of the room. Of course he didn't want to be anywhere near the machine should something go wrong. It was just a prototype, and they were testing it on her. Even though she felt dead most of the time, at that moment she was terrified. Then the room fell silent, except for the beeping of some machine somewhere out of view._

 _At his command, the machine started to move downward, and Elsa started sweating. It was a cold sweat, like that when one wakes from a terrible nightmare. She couldn't help but watch the thing make its slow descent, until it was just inches from her face. Panicking, she began struggling against her restraints and grunting._

 _"Elsa, damn it, stay still! I told you what you need to do, now do it!" Doctor Harvey sounded furious, but she didn't care. She wanted out of there. "Someone, get over there and hold her down!"_

 _Suddenly there were of hands on her head and shoulders trying to force her to be still, but she fought against them. She could hear the machine start up again, and as it lowered she started to scream. Then something amazing happened._

 _There was a white flash, and the temperature in the room dropped significantly. When she opened her eyes, Elsa saw that everything in the room was frozen over. Nobody moved or spoke, the machine sat still and silent, and the beeping had stopped. Struggling against her restraints once more, she was surprised when they tore as if made of paper. She didn't know why or how, but she was free._

The shouting returned and stirred her from her thoughts. She cursed herself for losing focus, ran the rest of the way down the slope to the road below, and headed westward towards the waterfront. Puget Sound was on the west side of the city; that much she was sure of. Though she lacked basic survival skills, she remembered that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and it was still early in the day. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, not that she cared really. The food at the facility was horrible, anyway.

When the men sounded like they were getting close, she jumped over the Jersey barrier and ducked behind a tree until they had moved on. Chancing a glance around the tree trunk, she could see them running across the freeway above, in the complete opposite direction from where she was. Letting out a heavy sigh, she gave them a minute or two to get further away before returning to the road. _Where are all the people?_ She didn't realize she hadn't seen a single car drive by the entire time. It was as if the roads were desolate.

Finally she decided to continue on. With her footfall being the only sound to be heard for what seemed like miles, she was sure that it would be a dead giveaway to her pursuers. How she had managed to outrun them at all was a miracle, and her luck had to be close to running its course soon.

Deciding to slow her pace down, Elsa moved into a brisk walk. Her eyes darted everywhere anytime the wind blew through the treetops, and at one point a flock of birds flew overhead and completely startled her. The sight was amazing to her, as she finally felt the freedom that they had known their entire lives. For the first time since her escape, it dawned on her that she truly was no longer held prisoner. She was no longer a caged animal. For the first time in forever, she was free.

She walked at that pace for a time, taking in the sights and sounds for the first time. She had memories of the beautiful pine trees and Mount Rainier off in the far distance. The air was fresh and clean, and the breeze through her hair felt amazing. Elsa never knew that the sky was so blue, or the sun so bright. The few memories she had managed to hang onto over the years seemed so distorted by time. Now was the time for her to make new ones, to capture them and keep them locked away so nobody could ever take them from her.

Suddenly she had the urge to touch and embrace the nature around her. So without a second thought she jumped over the ditch on the side of the road and climbed up the small hill to see what was on the other side. Once there, she saw that there were trees everywhere, with small flowers and ferns and tall grass growing in tufts here and there. The grass made it difficult for her to move, and every now and then she'd get caught on some burrs or trip over some rock sticking out of the mossy ground. Growing along a ravine was a large blackberry bush that spanned several hundred feet in either direction. The thorns were large and they pricked her hands and arms several times as she picked a few berries to try. She had a memory of going berry picking with her mother when she was younger, and it was a personal favorite of hers. The best part was that the berries were sweet, so she picked a handful more before moving on.

It was beautiful, and most importantly, it wasn't the cold concrete or stainless steel of the facility. It wasn't the stringent routine of her hapless life. It wasn't the constant fear that any given day could be her last, and it would end in the most excruciating way. She recounted the number of other kids she saw come in so innocent and naive only to leave in a body bag, if they were lucky enough to have their bodies remain intact. Some weren't so fortunate.

As she was moving through the trees in the general direction she was sure was the city, she heard something loud overhead. The sound was impossible to describe, but it didn't sound natural. While scanning the sky for the source, a large helicopter flew by. Instantly she ducked into the shade of a large oak as it circled around and made another pass. Her heart started pounding in her chest, and her eyes widened as she looked frantically to make sure that the men hadn't found her. The helicopter only hung around for a minute before it zoomed off in the opposite direction again.

Elsa waited several minutes before moving again, letting out another sigh as she crept the rest of the way through the forest. There were no other sounds, no men shouting or other helicopters passing by. It was once again the peaceful serenity it had been before, as if nothing had happened. This didn't mean she was going to let up her guard again. She had nearly been caught, and she reprimanded herself for being so foolish. _What a way to celebrate my newfound freedom._

Eventually the woods tapered off into a clearing, and she could see the freeway off in the distance to the east. That meant, if she kept going in that direction, she'd reach the bay, just like she thought. She decided that it would be best to head back to the road while sticking to the cover of the trees. It would help prevent any further chances of being caught, and she didn't mind walking through the woods so much. After so long of being held in a prison cell, any change was welcome.

After a while, the road wound around a large hill, and Elsa climbed up in order to get a good view of where the road was headed. At the crest of the hill, she saw the outskirts of the city. Her breath hitched just a little, and her heart started beating a bit faster. She was finally close to home. Just a few more miles and she'd be right where she wanted to be.

Feeling reinvigorated, Elsa bounded down the side of the hill back into the woods below, each step taking her that much closer to her goal. A restrained giggle managed to escape her, and she quickly covered her mouth and looked around in case someone might have heard. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed or felt happy. So, with newfound joy and energy she sprinted alongside the road through the trees, climbing every hill with purpose.

This went on for some time, until she at last came within sight of the outskirts of Arendelle. At first she didn't really notice the lack of people here as well, but it didn't take long for her to realize that she was all alone. Off to the side of the road was a gas station, and she went to peer into the window to see if anyone was inside. Instead, the building was completely empty, and some of the windows were busted out. The lights were off and the automatic door was broken. Even the shelves were knocked over and piled in the center of the store.

Confused, she turned and headed back to the road to continue towards the city. A little further down the road was a motel, which was in much the same shape as the gas station. There was graffiti all over the outside, and almost all the doors were broken off the hinges. Several of the rooms looked like everyone left in a hurry, as all their belongings were still there, though many were completely thrashed. There even seemed to be bullet holes everywhere; Elsa was familiar with those, as brute force was used several times over the years against some of the children that refused to cooperate. It was disgusting, but she remembered the sights and sounds all too well.

Just a bit further down the road were some houses hidden in the trees on the edge of town, and there were a few cars in the road that were utterly destroyed. Parts of the road were caved in like craters, and there was debris everywhere. Then the city proper came into view, and she had to stand there and stare for several seconds before it set in what she was seeing.

Buildings were toppled or hollowed out, the roads were demolished, and there were barricades made of sandbags and razor wire everywhere. At one end of the neighborhood she had a clear view of a tank driving through followed by several men in camouflage. They looked just like the men back at the facility. _What in the world happened while I was away?_ Before they could see her, she ducked behind one of the cars in the road. She prayed they hadn't noticed her.

A few minutes passed before she moved. When she did, they were gone. Without wasting any time, she sprinted into the city and found some cover behind a pile of rubble. Counting to thirty, she slowly poked her head around the edge of a concrete slab and looked around. Nothing. Wherever they went, they were no longer in sight. From there she darted across the rest of the street into a nearby building that was nothing more than a skeleton of whatever it used to be. She thought it was an office building. Whatever it was, it no longer served any more of a purpose than to shield her from prying eyes.

The situation seemed rather ironic altogether. She had escaped one nightmare only to find herself in another. There was nowhere to go if the rest of the city was in the same condition as this. _Who are these people? What have they done to my home?_ Leaning against a wall with no windows, she slid down to rest on the ground with a defeated sigh. Everything she had hoped for since her escape was gone. It made the whole endeavor seem pointless. _Now what am I supposed to do?_

 _It took her several moments to process what had just happened. A potentially lethal experiment. A bright flash. Ice everywhere. Her restraints were brittle and broken. She didn't understand it. Everything was covered in a thin white layer of permafrost. The temperature in the room was freezing, and she could see the mist of her breath hang in the air. The eerie part was the silence. Nothing stirred. The lights somehow still worked, but the computer consoles were powered down. It made no sense._

 _Cautiously sliding herself off the icy operating table, Elsa scanned the room to see the staff frozen in place like ice sculptures. None of them had seen it coming, and none had time to react; she certainly didn't. Doctor Harvey even had that annoyed expression chiseled onto his face. Their skin was a light shade of blue, and they were positioned in the middle of whatever it was they were doing the moment the flash went off._

 _Pupils dilated, she began panicking as she tried to look everywhere at once. She even stared at her hands, thinking maybe they were the source of that light she saw. Usually that's how her powers worked - they would shoot out from her hands. This was a new experience altogether. There was no way she could have known she was capable of something like this._

 _Once she calmed herself, she rushed over to the door and braced herself. Slowly she turned the handle until she heard an audible click and pulled. The door gave way, and she found herself in the hallway that led back to the front of the medical bay. Looking up and down the hall for sentries, she decided to take off as quickly and as quietly as she could. Stealth wasn't something she ever practiced, but she was lean and lithe enough that it wouldn't be all that hard. Still, she decided to take precautions just in case. She slid to a stop about halfway down the hall before she began to tiptoe the rest of the way._

 _At the end was an office to one side and the door back out into the main corridor on the other. Leaning up against the wall next to the office, she sidled over to the window that looked out into the hall and peaked inside. It was empty. In one smooth motion she moved to the door leading out and saw a couple guards patrolling the hallway. At the other end behind them was a set of stairs that led up. She had seen them before and knew they led to the surface, but beyond that she had no idea what was up there._

 _She chose to make that her escape route. What she really needed was a map, though she had the entire prison floor memorized. She knew there was a map on the wall on the far side by the cafeteria, but she'd be taking a big chance at getting caught if she went that way. Here there were only two men, though they were armed with rifles and itchy trigger fingers. If her powers decided to cooperate, she could get past them easily enough. But that was the problem – she had no way of controlling her powers on her own._

 _Studious contemplation did little in helping her decide. Neither option was one she liked, and neither had an outcome she could guarantee. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she really needed to see that map. So that was her new goal, no matter how much she feared getting caught. She wasn't worried so much about them apprehending her as she was whether or not her powers would cooperate and actually work. There was no way of knowing if they would._

 _As quietly as she could, Elsa cracked open the door just enough to slip through and creep down the hall leading away from the stairs. On the right-hand side of the hallway there were bars that allowed her to look out at the cell block below. That was where she should have been once the operation was over. Cell number seventeen – her home for the last thirteen years. Along the hall were hampers on wheels full of laundry, and a couple crates full of supplies for the medical labs. Normally the test subjects weren't allowed where she was, so these things were left out in the open with little regard for protocol. They did, however, offer some great hiding places from the guards across the complex and down below._

 _At the end of the hall was another door, which led to the cafeteria. The map would be on the far side near the entrance. They passed by it every day, and she had never paid much attention to it. Now she was kicking herself over neglecting the thing. She had thirteen whole years to learn the layout of the entire complex, and yet she gave up as soon as she arrived._

 _Elsa crept the rest of the way hunched over in order to make herself as small as she could. Her heart was thumping so fiercely that she swore it would burst through her chest and explode at any moment. There was a nervous sweat beading down her face, and she was almost positive that she was making far too much noise. Yet somehow none of the guards had noticed her._

 _Once she was through the door and in the cafeteria, she froze. At the far end by the entrance were two guards. They seemed to be standing there talking, paying no attention to the rogue test subject. She couldn't understand them, as was normal anymore. Whatever they spoke, it wasn't English. Some of them did speak English from time to time, but never amongst themselves. Only when they issued orders or threats did they bother with it. Their language sounded impossible to pronounce, and they spoke very quickly. Elsa couldn't make heads or tails of it at all._

 _Quickly she crawled to the serving station and hid. The cafeteria was technically closed until lunchtime, so the windows and the kitchen were blocked off and shuttered. Then she heard the door swing open, and the voices trailed off into the hallway outside. Letting out a sigh of relief, she clamored to her feet and sped across the rest of the lunchroom to the doors the men had just exited through. Poking her head out, she saw that no one was there and took a chance. The map was on the wall to her left, and to the right was a guard station. As luck would have it, it was empty._

 _She hurried to the map and studied it for a couple minutes in order to get a good idea of where to go. The stairs back at the other end led exactly where she wanted to go. From there it would be a short jaunt past the barracks and the stairwell that would take her to the surface. It seemed simple enough._

 _Right as she was about to head back to where she came from, she heard a familiar voice further down the hall beyond the guard station. It was the woman that drugged her that day she was brought to this awful place - Dolores. She was now an administrator, which meant she got to dictate to Doctor Harvey what kind of funding the experiments would receive. At least that's what she was able to piece together over the years from hearing snippets of conversation._

 _From the sounds of things, she wasn't very happy. "Tell Harvey that he better get results with that damn girl, otherwise that project of his is going to undergo some serious scrutiny by the higher ups. That prototype wasn't cheap either." She was talking about the machine with the high-speed needle, or at least that's what Elsa believed. It was the only prototype she was aware of, and the girl Dolores was referring to had to be her._

 _Elsa couldn't see who she was talking to, and honestly didn't care. Instead, she glanced at the map one last time to double-check she had it memorized, and then slipped back through the door to the cafeteria. She was almost on the other side of the lunchroom when a high-pitched siren started wailing throughout the complex. Terrified, she ran as hard and as fast as she could back down the hall to the corridor the staircase was in. She could hear men shouting throughout the cell block below as she ran past one of the hallways. It didn't stop her; she was determined now to reach the surface._

 _When she finally managed to reach the stairs, she had to slide to a halt in order to avoid detection. There were more men filtering in from the stairwell and the corridor off to the right. Fortunately, none turned down the hall towards her. Once what looked to be the last of them exited the area, Elsa took her chance and ran to the stairs. They were rather steep, but with the energy she had, she nearly took them two at a time. She couldn't be rid of that place fast enough._

 _After what felt like hours, she slowed down her speed and had to take a very short break. Practically keeled over, she did her best to breathe normally but her lungs were on fire. Though they had physical training almost every day, this was still more of a workout than she was used to. She had lost track of how many flights of stairs she had climbed, but she felt she had to be getting close to the top. If not, she wasn't sure how much farther she could go. That's when she noticed the security camera in the corner of the landing she was on._

Damn it! How long have they been watching me? _She panicked. There was no telling how many flights had cameras on them, and now she was certain they knew exactly where she was. After taking a deep breath, she bolted up the next flight with renewed vigor. Whatever she did, she had to reach the surface. That was the only way to freedom._

The sound of gunshots roused her from her thoughts. Quickly she rose to her feet and crept along the wall until she found an opening. Peering out, could see that the men were firing at someone in the distance, but she couldn't make out whom. Whoever it was, they were returning fire. One of the soldiers got hit in the leg and fell to the ground with a grunt. She could hear him shouting, and one of the others ran over to him and pulled something out of the pouch at his side. Whatever he was doing was obscured from her view. Then there was a loud boom, and dust and dirt flew into the air, causing Elsa to choke and cough. That's when she saw the tank just a few dozen yards away. Covering her mouth, she backed away from the wall and headed to the other end of the building in the hopes of putting some distance between her and the soldiers.

As she began climbing over some rubble to escape the building, a couple soldiers came within view and saw her. One aimed and fired his assault rifle, hitting the debris around her. Startled, Elsa scrambled over the rest of the pile of concrete and rebar, nearly falling on her face one the opposite side. Picking herself up, she began to run as fast as she could across the parking lot outside of the office building she had been in. She knew the men would be after her in a matter of seconds, and tried to find cover once she had made it across the street.

She just barely made it behind the brick wall of a convenience store before more shots were fired at her. There was no way of knowing if they were going to approach the building right away or not, and she didn't want to give them time to do so. The building was small, but she saw a door that led out into the back of the store. Hurriedly, she ran and threw the door open just in time to be fired at again. It seemed the men were going to give chase after all.

Once out back, she took off and made her way across the street into what used to be a shoe store. Much like the convenience store, the windows were all busted out, and the ceiling was caved in. Thankfully, she was tiny enough to slip in through the debris and hide behind what was left of the sales counter when she heard more gunshots. Silently she waited, breathing hard and shaking from fright, scared that the men would find her.

The seconds ticked by, and after what felt like several minutes she peeked around the edge of the counter to see what had happened. Strangely, nothing stirred. Elsa considered going out to take a look, but thought better of it. Those men could just be waiting for her to come out, and then she'd be in serious trouble. _If only my powers would work when I need them!_

A couple more gunshots sounded off, this time a bit closer. Not wanting to be seen, she scooted further into the shadow cast by the rubble above and held her breath. If they hadn't found her by now, then hopefully they wouldn't at all. That didn't mean she was willing to take any risks, though. She was unarmed and had no idea how to fight. How she had managed to survive as long as she had so far was a complete mystery to her. By all rights, she should have been found or killed by now.

Then she heard the crunch of gravel underfoot, and silently started to sob. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she could have sworn the air had gotten warmer. Clasping her hands to her mouth, she did her best to stifle whatever sounds she might make. When the silhouette of a man stood long on the floor and wall, she inched her way as far back as she could go. Silently she prayed that he wouldn't find her.

"Come on out, girl," an unfamiliar voice commanded.

 _"Come on out girl," one of the men commanded in that thick accent of theirs. "Hands up."_

 _Elsa had finally managed to make it to the surface, and found that the facility itself was empty. There were no computers or telephones or anything. Every device, piece of furniture, everything was gone. She was perplexed. The place was completely empty. The men on the outside of the building had their weapons pointed right at her. There were nine men she could see, and she was sure there were others nearby. The worst part was there was nowhere for her to go._

 _Slowly she walked towards the door and held her hands up. Her eyes were wide and darted everywhere, and as she stepped outside they were briefly blinded by the sunlight. Once everything returned to normal and she could see again, she saw that she was right. More men stood off to either side with their weapons drawn._ So much for freedom.

 _"Get down on the ground," the man commanded, but she didn't hear him. She was too terrified to really hear much of anything. As she walked further into the parking lot, she suddenly noticed that the men slowly backed away from her. The further she walked, the further they backed off. The men were afraid of her._

 _Then one of the men decided to rush in, and instinctively she threw her hands up in front of her and screamed. Then another bright flash. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the soldier was just inches away from her, the butt of his gun in position to make contact with her face. Everything in a fifty foot radius was frozen solid, like back in the lab. The men stood there as statues, weapons aimed straight at her. She was lucky they hadn't opened fire on her like they had at so many of the others before for lesser infractions. Perhaps she really was that valuable to Doctor Harvey._

 _It took only a second to dawn on her that she was once again safe, and once she did realize it she took off down the road towards the freeway. She remembered that it was close by, and luckily there were signs pointing her back towards I-5. If she could make it there without being caught, she could find her way home._

 _When she reached the entrance to the freeway, she could hear shouting coming from where the facility was. It was faint, but she knew it was the men that tried to stop her. She ran as fast as her feet would take her. With any luck, she would reach the city before being found. She only prayed she could run fast enough._


	3. Chapter 2 - Redneck Rescue

**Chapter 2**

 _Redneck Rescue_

Elsa sat there in silence, unwilling to budge from her crumbling refuge. Eyes shut and shaking furiously, she did her best to disappear into the little corner she had backed herself into. It was dark and hidden, but she didn't know if it was dark enough. She didn't know if the man was with the others or not, and she was too terrified to find out. He could have been the one shooting just minutes ago, and if so, she had to wonder what happened to those soldiers.

"I said come on out." The man was getting impatient, and this only scared Elsa even more. "I know yer' back there 'cause I saw ya run in here. Now be a sweetheart and come on out. I ain't gonna hurt ya."

Calming herself down just a little, Elsa reluctantly crawled out from the wreckage she had wedged herself into. He didn't sound like the others, so that was a start. _What happened to those other men?_ Timidly she stood and raised her hands up as if being held at gunpoint. When she walked out, she could barely see the man. The sunlight was bright as it shone through holes in the ceiling and walls, casting darker shadows in the unlit portions of the store.

"There ya go, easy does it." The man had eased his tone down enough to be more comforting than it had been. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see that he was wearing a cowboy hat and had a pair of sleek sunglasses on. He was also holding a rifle, but luckily it was aimed down and away from her. That, at least, was a good sign. "Now then, why don't we get ya outta here before more of them damned commie bastards show up."

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed her by the wrist and led her out through the side of the building where the wall had collapsed. It led out to an alleyway that somehow wasn't littered with rubble from destroyed buildings. Once at the far end, they came to another street that ran eastward towards a park. It looked as if it hadn't been used in ages. There was also a foul smell lingering in the air, and Elsa suspected it came from the direction the park was in. It was sickly-sweet and it made her gag.

The man let go of her arm and spoke to her over his shoulder quietly. "Okay listen, they seem to be occupied on the other side with them rebels, so we're gonna use that distraction to skedaddle. When I say go, you run to that busted up car down the road there by the corner. I'll be right behind ya." Leaning against the wall he peeked around the corner and glanced up and down the street. "Okay, it's clear. Get goin'." He took her by the arm and shoved her out onto the road, and it took her only a second to realize what she needed to do.

Once she got to the car, she looked back to see that he was creeping across the street with his gun drawn. He was hunched over and walking as fast as he could, but he was meticulous about where he stepped; he avoided any debris that might have made sound. Finally he reached the car and ran up to the next building and peered around the corner. The road was heading northward, deeper into the city. When he motioned for her to follow him, she got up and stayed as close to him as she could.

The street looked much like the others, with broken buildings and demolished vehicles all over. Overhead, the freeway snaked around a few tall buildings before it veered off and headed to the northeast. Parts of I-5 had collapsed and crushed several of the buildings below, with piles of concrete and rebar everywhere. One of the buildings looked to be an apartment complex, and an entire wall had been scraped right off where the chunks of the road had fallen.

They cautiously moved down the street, stopping at every intersection or alleyway before moving on. A few blocks down they saw a tank drive by with several soldiers accompanying it, but it was it was several streets over and didn't seem to pose any threat to them. They could still hear gunfire in the distance, but it now seemed far away. Elsa still had no idea what was going on, but she did know that she didn't want to get stuck in the middle of a firefight. She had seen plenty of times what those weapons were capable of, and she wanted no part of that.

Once they were across the next street, they heard a loud blast. Elsa thought it must have come from the tank that had driven by just moments before. She could hear more shouting and gunshots, all within close proximity to where they were. It made her even more nervous than she already was. Looking back over her shoulder became a constant reflex to every sound she heard.

Another boom brought them both to a stop as they ducked into an alley between a Chinese restaurant and a book store. "Alright, look, we only have a few more blocks to go before we're safe. Just stick to me like glue and everythin' will be just fine."

A couple more blocks passed by without incident, and soon they were at the edge of what used to be some suburban neighborhood. The houses still stood for the most part, though most of the windows were busted out and boarded up. There was more graffiti, none of which Elsa could read. One of the houses did say "Kill Da Russians" in thick red letters, and it made her wonder why it would say that. Another house said "Better Dead Than Red", and yet another said "Fuck Kozlov". None of it made sense to her, so she chose to put it out of her mind for the time being.

He led her to an abandoned auto repair shop just a couple of streets down. The windows were, much like everything else in town, boarded up pretty solidly. The roll-up doors had junk parts and a broken down van parked in front of them, rendering them useless, and the side door leading into the front office had a padlock and a heavy chain through the handles. The man had the lock off in a matter of seconds and motioned for her to follow him through the door. The inside was dark and musty and smelled of old oil, and only slivers of sunlight shone through the cracks of the windows. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she could see all the car parts littering the garage, and one of the lifts still had someone's car suspended several feet in the air. There was a dirty, old mattress in the corner underneath one of the windows, and she suspected that that was where he slept. The rest of the shop had tools lying around haphazardly, and there were a few drums of oil on pallets along the back wall.

Walking towards one of the windows, he leaned his rifle up against the wall next to an old engine block as he peered outside through the slits in the boards. "Alright, we should be okay now. Feel free to make yerself at home." He took something small and round out of his front pocket and started shaking it, smacking his fingers against it as he did so. After he opened the lid, scooped something out of it, and placed it in his mouth.

Elsa slowly wandered around with her arms wrapped around her. She was still very much confused by everything, and had no idea what had happened to the city. It was in complete ruin and was clearly unsafe to be in. There was little doubt in her mind that her home was no longer standing, and that her family wasn't even there. Wherever they were, she hoped it was better than this. It just had to be.

"The name's Randall, by the way," he said suddenly. "What's yers?"

She was quiet for several moments before answering. "Elsa," she said meekly. It was the first time in ages that she had spoken to anyone. At first she didn't even know if her voice would work.

Eyeing her closely, Randall grinned slightly. Elsa thought it was a rather creepy look on his face. "Ya don't talk much, do ya?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. "Mind tellin' me what yer doin' way out here in the outskirts? The whole district is overrun by them Russians. Probably worse than any of the others. I bet it's 'cause of them rebels. Always pissin' off the reds, makin' life harder for the rest of us."

 _Russians. That must be who took over at the facility. But why? How?_ She wasn't sure if she was more or less confused by this revelation. It certainly explained the accents and the increase in horrific experiments she underwent, though she didn't know a whole lot about them. All she did know she learned in the limited history classes they were given. Even though they were treated horribly, they were still somewhat educated in order to keep them from being completely ignorant. Now she got to find out if what she knew was enough to keep up with everyone from the outside. Hopefully she wouldn't come across as stupid.

Instead of answering, Elsa simply shrugged at him, causing him to frown but nod his head. "I shoulda expected that," he said with a sigh. "Alright, here's the plan. We're gonna hold up here for a few hours, and tonight after the sun goes down we'll head deeper into the the city. I have a contact there that can offer better safety than this here ol' pile o' bricks. From there we'll figure out what to do with ya."

Once again Elsa didn't answer; she barely even nodded in acknowledgment. Instead she found a spot against a wall where there were no car parts or tools or anything else in the way, sank down to the ground, and drew her knees up to her chest. She was scared out of her mind, completely lost, but more than that she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep, and she was pretty sure she could do that right where she was. It wasn't comfortable, but her body didn't seem to care. Wherever would have been just fine with her. It was only a matter of minutes before she slipped away into unconsciousness.

00000

 _"Alright, Elsa dear," Harvey said in annoyance, "we're going to try again. This time I want you to focus and hit the damned target." He was getting angry again, and it scared her a little. She didn't like it when he got that way, because that usually meant that she'd hurt a lot more by the end of the day._

 _"I'm trying to! I don't know why it isn't coming out!" She started panicking, which usually angered him further. The temperature in the room began to fall slightly, but she doubted he'd notice._

 _Harvey removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Then I suppose we'll need to persuade your powers into coming out. You did it before, and I'm confident you can do it again. But you need to cooperate with me."_

 _Walking over towards a computer console on the far wall, he called for one of the techs to check something on the computer, but Elsa didn't understand what it was. Something called molecular tampering. He'd used the term before, usually before some sort of painful test. The results were usually not to his liking, and were excruciating for her. The last time something like that happened, she coughed up blood for a week. The worst part was that they did nothing to help her recover._

 _Turning his attention back towards her, Harvey tried to sound a little more reassuring than he had before. "Alright Elsa, we're ready whenever you are. Just try and focus on hitting that target with the strongest energy blast you can manage." He placed his hands behind his back and waited, a little impatiently in her opinion._

 _Elsa simply nodded and stared down the man-shaped dummy at the far end of the test chamber. It irritated her that she had no control over her powers, and she was sick of standing there looking at the thing. It was mocking her, staring back with a blank expression. Never mind the fact that it had no face; that much didn't matter to her. What mattered was that she wanted to blast the thing to bits, but she had already been trying for over an hour and nothing had happened. If she didn't want to suffer any more experimentation, she needed to find a way to coax her powers into cooperating with her._

 _Rolling her shoulders to work out some stress, she took up an aggressive stance and gritted her teeth. She focused as hard as she possibly could, and mentally worked herself up. She needed to be psyched up in order to manage any sort of spark, although the number of times that that had actually worked could be counted on one hand. With a growl, she narrowed her eyes, took a step forward, and screamed as she brought her hand up and aimed at the dummy._

 _Something did happen, but she wasn't sure what. She could feel an energy coursing through her, shooting up her spine and out through her arms. It felt as if millions of tiny pins were pricking her from the inside, and her vision turned slightly red around the periphery. The buildup was intense, and she could even feel it surge through her legs. The room grew icy cold, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Even her breath was a frosty cloud that hung heavy in the air._

 _But that was all that happened. No icy energy bolt shot from her hands, the dummy still stood in one piece, and she heard an exasperated sigh come from Harvey. Elsa looked at her feet, hoping that there was some ice on the ground around her, but there was nothing. She was puzzled by this, because she felt the immense build-up inside of her. All she had managed to do was make the room cold. This was the only result she had managed for the last hour, even though this time it felt completely different. She could feel something wanted to come out, but for whatever reason, it didn't._

 _Harvey was leaning over one of the techs' shoulders and talking quietly, likely reading over whatever results they had. They remained that way for a couple minutes, and then he grunted before turning his attention back to Elsa. "It seems this wasn't a complete failure. Aside from turning the test chamber into an icebox, our results show that there was a brief yet massive surge of energy. Can you tell me what you felt?"_

 _"It, um, felt like I was being poked inside. It wanted to come out, but I don't know why it didn't! I tried really hard that time!" She started to panic, fearing what he might do in order to push her over the edge again. His typical response to not getting what he wanted out of her usually ended up with her waking up in the infirmary._

 _"Yes, well... As I said, all you need is a little push." The look on his face was the one she hated the most. It was the look he gave when he was about to do something truly horrible. "As an eleven year old, you should already have control over these powers of yours! Most of your peers learned how to control theirs much younger than you! So what is it that has made you so damn stubborn that you refuse to cooperate!?"_

 _The shouting made Elsa cower and flinch, and she raised her arms up as if to shield herself from being hit. Luckily, he had never struck her. Instead he'd force her to undergo cruel and grueling tests or some sort of sick and twisted surgery. The worst was when he forced her to try and produce some sort of ice by making her walk on broken glass with high-power electrodes attached for a form of shock therapy. He believed that causing her severe pain would be enough to draw her powers out, but was proven wrong. Instead she was hospitalized for nearly two weeks while the soles of her feet regrew and the burn marks from the shocks faded. The myriad cuts she obtained from falling face first into the broken shards lasted longer than she would have liked, but thankfully nothing scarred over._

 _This time, though, he did no such thing. "Alright, that's enough for today. We got some interesting results that I need to go over. Get her out of my sight and back to her cell," he said with frustration. He seemed to be exhausted, although Elsa couldn't figure out why._ It's not like he did anything. _There wasn't much time to think about it, because soon they had removed the electrodes and was being led away, back towards her cold and unwelcoming cell._

00000

Elsa woke with a gasp, sweating and breathing heavily. She didn't know how long she had been out, but it was long enough that the sun had begun to set. After several seconds of wondering where she was, she finally remembered the smell of oil and the abandoned four-door sedan suspended in the air. Stretching, her back popped in several places and her body ached to get up and move. Her companion seemed to be asleep on the filthy mattress in the corner, his gun propped up against a stack of tires. He was snoring rather loudly, and stirred every now and again, but seemed completely out of it otherwise.

There was something about him she had a hard time trusting. No one had ever been nice to her in her entire life, so she didn't understand why some stranger would risk his life to help her. Not once did anyone ever step in on her behalf and put an end to her suffering and to keep her safe. Now she suddenly had this man, this Randall, who was protecting her and taking her somewhere she would be safe from the Russians, and hopefully Doctor Harvey. She prayed she would never have to return to that horrible place.

Standing up and stretching once more, Elsa walked over to the window and tried looking out through the gaps in the two by fours nailed in place. She couldn't see much, but she could hear more fighting in the distance. Whoever it was just wouldn't quit. She didn't have any way of knowing how far away they were, but it sounded like it was on the other side of the district, or at least a few blocks away. All the shooting was starting to wear on her and it had only been a day. There was no imagining how the others could manage it day after day.

The street they were on was, strangely, empty and quiet. No Russian soldiers, no tanks, no rebels. Not even so much as the bark of a dog or chirp of a bird was to be heard. The only thing that stirred was the wind as it blew dust around and across the pavement. It was eerie, and Elsa didn't much care for it. _After everything that's happened already, this doesn't seem right._

"You don't have nothin' to worry about, missy," Randall said suddenly, startling Elsa and causing her to jump just a little. "All that fightin' is on the other side o' town. It'll be nice an' easy goin' for us from here on out."

Elsa nodded without saying a word. She still didn't fully trust him, but that was mostly because she had never trusted anybody. Even her parents betrayed her at a young age, or so she felt. If they had truly cared for her, they never would have left her at that nightmare facility. But she was always too afraid to tell them when they visited. That was due in large part to the threats that Harvey and the other staff had made to the kids about telling anyone about what went on there. So when her family did come to visit – typically without Anna until she was older – Elsa remained quiet. Their visits were almost always short and one-sided, and her parents often worried why she had grown so distant. Doctor Harvey always explained that the treatment was difficult on some of the kids, but always assured them that things were progressing well. For whatever reason, her parents believed him every time without question.

After a moment of silence, Randall stood and stretched before searching through his pack. "Here, eat this. It ain't much, but it's better than nothin'," he said as he offered her some food. The label said it was a protein bar, whatever that was. She took it and looked at it for a minute before looking back at him questioningly. "What, is somethin' wrong?"

Shaking her head, Elsa tore into the wrapper and started munching on the snack bar ravenously. It tasted funny, but as hungry as she was, she didn't complain. She had forgotten that she hadn't eaten since breakfast, and she would hardly call what they served food. This was heavenly compared to that slop. It even had some chocolate, which she adored. It reminded her of the candies she used to eat as a child.

Randall watched her in amusement while shaking his head. "Girl, ya act like ya haven't eaten in days. I ain't ever seen someone gobble one of those as fast as you have."

Licking her fingers clean, Elsa ignored his comment. "Now what?"

"Now we gather our gear an' get the hell outta here. We've got a little bit of a walk ahead of us, and I'd like to get started before it's too dark to see shit. Them Russians have night vision, so we need to be like ghosts," he said as he shouldered his rifle and backpack with a grunt. "Well, if yer ready, let's get our asses movin'."

They headed back out to the street through the main door, and in a matter of seconds he had it chained closed again. Leading her north, they moved down the street a little more quickly than they had that afternoon, though they were still cautious enough whenever they came up on an intersection. The fighting from earlier seemed to have stopped, at least for the time being, and that eased Elsa's mind a little. She prayed that that meant the Russians and rebels were gone; she had no desire to encounter either one.

After awhile, they came by a school that was a bombed-out shell of what it once was. Elsa could smell that foul odor she had encountered when they passed by the park early that day, and she was just about to ask Randall about it when she heard a strange beeping sound. Randall grabbed her by the arm and ducked them behind a car that was parked in the middle of the road.

"God damn it! They're filling in the field with more bodies!" he whispered hoarsely.

Elsa's eyes widened in horror, "Bodies?"

"Yeah. There's a mass grave over in that football field. That's what you've been smellin' this whole time. Rotten corpses of our friends and loved ones," Randall spat. "The fuckin' Russians and Chinese came in an' massacred people left an' right. The survivors live in them supervised colonies now. But ya know all about that."

Again Elsa didn't say anything, but she peered over the trunk of the car to see a large backhoe dumping a pile of bodies into a large landfill. It made her think back to the facility and all the kids that came in and died there. How they covered those deaths up with the families she didn't know, and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

They finally moved on, ducking from car to car in order to avoid being spotted. There was a small contingent of Russian soldiers supervising the burial, but none seemed interested enough to watch the street. It didn't take them long to move beyond the line of sight of the school. At the end of the block, Randall had them turn west.

"My guys are at the harbor in one of the warehouses there. It's not as big as some of the others, and those commie fucks don't pay no attention to it. It'll be perfectly safe there," he said over his shoulder, not really paying any attention to her. He knew he wouldn't get a response from her, and didn't really expect one.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before they reached the marketplace, which was near enough to the docks that one could see them from the edge of the road. The street was lined with all manner of businesses, and vague memories started to return to Elsa as they made their way through. She remembered her first time visiting the market, when they had fresh fish on ice and she saw her first eel. Then there was the woman that made necklaces and bracelets out of hemp and beads. She even loved the street musicians, such as the older man that played drums on a bunch of upturned five-gallon buckets. Somehow, he was really talented and made it sound fantastic. Now, no music played, and no fish were brought in by the fishermen. The nice lady that made the necklaces and bracelets was gone. Everything was gone.

Elsa's eyes began to mist over as she thought back to her childhood and how much she loved it there. Then there was the thirteen years of life she missed out on. It angered her, enough so that she growled and kicked an overturned hotdog stand, causing a loud clanging sound to resonate throughout the street. This made Randall stop in his tracks and turn to her, visibly annoyed.

"Girl, what the hell has gotten into you? Ya keep on makin' that ruckus and the Russians will be right on top of us," Randall warned.

She shot him an aggressive stare. "You couldn't possibly understand!"

"Yer right, and right now we ain't got time for explanations. So let's get our emotions in check and get off this damned street," he said impatiently.

Grabbing her by the arm, Randall dragged her down the street to the next intersection, which was only a few blocks from their destination. When they turned the corner, he quickly moved for his gun and brought it up, ready to fire. When Elsa looked, she saw another man standing only a few yards away, pointing his rifle right at them.

"Who the hell are you?" Randall asked threateningly.

"I could ask you the same question," the man retorted. Elsa recognized his accent, and was immediately terrified.

Randall adjusted his grip on his rifle. "Listen here you Russian prick, we ain't got time for games. Now get outta the way and let us pass before I have to kill ya."

The man chuckled briefly, then looked at Elsa. "First of all, I am not Russian. Secondly, it is you that has come into my territory without permission. I own this street. So if anyone will be doing any killing, it will be me. As for the girl, well, I might be nice and let her go."

"Don't you even think about it pal. The girl's with me and it's staying that way. Now let us past. I won't tell you again."

This seemed to entertain the man, because he smiled and shook his head before lowering his gun. "Alright, alright. You may pass, my friend, but I only do this for the girl. She is very pretty, but I can see she is scared. Maybe you should do a better job protecting her. Do you feel safe, girl?"

He hadn't taken his eyes off of her, and the question took her by surprise. She didn't like the man at all, but he wasn't being mean in any way. Besides, he complimented her. That was probably the first time anyone had said anything like that to her. "I-I don't know..."

"I see," he said with a chuckle. "My friend, you best take good care of her. If anything happens to this pretty girl, I will personally hunt you down." With that, he had a hearty laugh and walked past them as he shook his head.

00000

Elsa was incredibly confused. _What just happened?_ She didn't have much time to ponder though, as Randall grabbed her by the arm once more and was dragging her down the road. This time she resisted and ripped her arm from his grip. When he turned around, he saw that she was angry and on the verge of tears again.

"Damn it, now what?" he demanded.

"I'm not taking another step until you can assure me that I am safe with you," Elsa said as she drew herself up.

Randall blinked and shook his head as if he couldn't believe what she just said. "What the hell are you talking about? I've kept you safe up 'til now haven't I?"

Folding her arms, Elsa looked away from him and stared at nothing in particular. "Maybe, but why would you go out of your way to help someone you don't even know?"

"Because that's what I do. I help people that need it."

"And you promise that this place we're going to is safe?"

"Why would I lie?"

Elsa finally relaxed a bit, and when Randall motioned for her to follow, she did so apprehensively. They continued down the street, the dirt and dust billowing out from under their feet as they walked. This particular part of the city was relatively free from damage, and only the abandoned cars and eerie silence was any indication that it had been emptied. Even the street lights still worked, which surprised her. She expected it to be as dark as everywhere else. Then she noticed that many of the buildings had lights working as well, which meant there was power going everywhere. She could see why that man decided to claim this area for himself.

At the end of the street, there was a large brown warehouse surrounded by a chain-link fence along its perimeter. There was a semi parked outside with a long trailer attached to it, but there didn't seem to be anyone around. As they approached the building, Elsa thought it looked rather foreboding, but decided that it was just the stress and exhaustion playing tricks with her. It loomed over them, reaching into the night sky, and for whatever reason, it sent shivers down her spine.

There was a set of double doors on one side, and this was where Randall led her. He beat a rhythm against them, and moments later they heard a clicking sound as one of the doors swung outward. There was a rather large man in a dark jacket that ushered them in, and Elsa thought he smelled rather badly. Inside were many more men, with crates lined up against the walls and littering the middle of the floor. One of the docking bays on the far end had a trailer being loaded, but she couldn't see what with. There were men wandering around the catwalks up above, each holding assault rifles. Off to one side was a curtained-off area. Whatever was behind it was completely obscured from view.

She had a really bad feeling about all of this. This didn't seem like some safe haven as Randall had said. The men didn't look friendly, and the ones with weapons scared her. The whole operation seemed very questionable. "Randall, what's going on?"

Before she could get an answer, another man approached with his arms out in a welcoming manner. "Ah, Randall, my friend. I see you have brought another one. She is very pretty. Where did you find her?" Another man with an accent, only this one wasn't anything like the Russians. The man was tan and was wearing a nice suit with shiny black shoes.

"Near the outskirts by the freeway. The Russians had her runnin' scared. It was no hassle though. After some persuadin', it was easy to get her here." He had a smirk on his face that Elsa didn't like. "What's my payment this time, Marco?"

The man pointed at him jovially and laughed. "For the work you do, I have at least six weeks' worth of supplies, plus guns and ammo. Take whatever you like. She's going to fetch us a nice price. I know a Chinese official who is more than willing to pay whatever we want." Silently, he motioned for one of the men to take her.

Elsa's eyes widened and filled with dread. "What? Randall, what is he talking about? What's going on!?" One of the other men grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her forward towards the back of the warehouse. The only acknowledgment Randall gave her was a wave as she was dragged away.


	4. Chapter 3 - Extraction

**Chapter 3**

 _Extraction_

The sky had darkened considerably by the time he returned, and the stars were glittering as they always have. He had chosen an empty apartment on the third floor by the docks because of the view looking out over the water. With the exception of the debris that floated on the water's surface, it was scenic. It reminded him of the lakes back home. Cold and mellow. It was the only semblance of peace he had found since he arrived in the city. A peace he was willing to protect, even if that meant killing for it.

That was one thing that made little difference to him. Taking the life of another was of little consequence to him, and he was well practiced in the art. It lost its thrill a long time ago, but it was something that came so easily to him. Sometimes it was so easy that it scared him, if only for a brief moment. Not that it ever stopped him from doing it. There was very little that could deter him from doing what he was born to do. He had done it for money. Pleasure. Duty. To him, it was all the same in the end.

Tossing his pack to the floor beside the door, he flicked on the light and propped his rifle against the wall in the entryway. It still amazed him that the lights and plumbing even worked, but for whatever reason, this part of the grid was intact. Because of this he had a working refrigerator, cooking range, and hot water. It was almost like a luxury suite compared to what most others had. The best part was that it was all his. He shared it with no one, and he preferred it that way. No roommates to contend with over space or supplies. It was perfect. He loved his solitude.

Solitude. It had a nice ring to it. It took him little time to adapt to being completely and utterly alone all the time. During his time in the military, he kept his distance from his squad mates, never getting too close to anyone. There were times he was confronted about his isolation, but it usually led to a fistfight and heavy drinking. It's how he ended up with a scar under his left eye. At least he didn't distance himself so much that he refused to get a mark of brotherhood with the rest of the men in his squadron. The image of a spider and the words _"Chorna Vdova"_ adorned the back of his right hand.

The view of Puget Sound wasn't the only one he had. The guest room looked out over the street below. It was convenient for keeping an eye out for trespassers and soldiers, though he did see activity down at the warehouses further down the road from time to time. He had no idea what went on there, but he was pretty sure it wasn't legal. The rebels concentrated more on the eastern half of the city, and there was rarely any fighting here. The Russians used the larger harbors up north, primarily in Seattle, yet he saw the occasional boat here. They were never naval ships, mostly private vessels that were more designed to handle cargo. What concerned him, though, was that the man and girl he had met were headed in that direction.

The girl. There was something about her that occupied his mind. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but more than anything she seemed scared. The distance she kept from the cowboy told him that they weren't close, and the way she eyed him meant that she wasn't sure about the man. Perhaps she didn't trust him. If that were the case, it was strange that she would keep such company. With how trigger-happy and jumpy her companion was, there was little telling what kind of person he really was.

It bothered him a great deal that he had let her go with the man. It didn't feel right. Something about it told him she wasn't safe with her companion, and that was nearly enough to drive him to go after them. But he couldn't be sure where they had gone, and they had quite a head start on him. So he leaned against the window sill and looked down at the street, scanning it for any signs of life. Perhaps they had found refuge nearby since the electricity still worked here. It was possible, though his gut told him it was highly unlikely. Odds were they were long gone.

He was just about to shut the blinds on the window and head to bed when some movement below caught his attention. It was the man from before, strolling down the street alone and without a care in the world. The girl was nowhere to be found. This alarmed him a bit and caused him to grow suspicious, and was enough to force him to gather his gear before heading out the door and down several flights of stairs. Once on the ground level, he made his way through the lobby to the side entrance that led out into the alley. It was conveniently dark, allowing him to slip into the shadows unnoticed. His training allowed for him to move silently, and one would be hard-pressed to detect a sound as he inched his way to the mouth of the alley.

The man in the cowboy hat was whistling a tune to himself as he passed by the apartment building, not giving the darkened alleyway a second glance. He seemed completely oblivious, and seemed to be carrying quite a bit more gear than when he had passed by earlier that evening. On top of that, he was making all sorts of noise, which only made it that much easier to sneak up on him.

Slinking out of the shadows, he crept across the empty street as silently as possible. They had gone nearly half a block before he decided to take action. Switching up his pace, he practically ran at the man as he raised his gun and slammed the butt of his rifle into the back of the cowboy's head. The man stumbled and fell to the ground with a grunt, hitting the pavement face first. Before he could roll over or push himself up, a large boot stomped down on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Digging the muzzle of his rifle into the back of the man's head, he leaned forward and pressed down hard, putting all his weight into his foot. "So we meet again, Cowboy. What a small world it is."

"Fuck you, ya Russian prick!" the man attempted to yell. The boot on his back was making it hard for him to breathe.

"I have already told you, I am not Russian," he replied with a bit of venom to his voice. "Now tell me, where is the girl?"

The man tried to push upwards, but was immediately forced back down with another grunt. "That's none of yer god damn business."

"Wrong answer." Taking a knife out from his boot, he gripped it by the tip of the blade and flicked his wrist. The knife spun through the air for just a moment before embedding itself in the back of the man's right hand, ushering a hoarse scream. "Try again, or you will start to lose fingers. Now where is she?"

The cowboy's breathing became ragged, and he had begun grunting and groaning in pain. "I had to make a business transaction," he said through gritted teeth. He tried flexing his hand, but bit back another yelp as the pain shot through him.

"With who?"

"All ya need to know is that she's safe," the man said as the pain shot through his arm. "At least fer now."

Without a word, the tattooed man bent down and yanked the knife from the cowboy's hand, then placed the blade on top of his pinky and started to press down. Blood started to pool around the edge of the knife as it began to cut, and the man bit back a scream.

"Alright! She's at the Smith Brothers warehouse just down the road!" The man practically screeched as the blade stopped.

"Who did you sell her to?"

The cowboy's arm was shaking, and he was breathing heavily. His coughs and sputters disturbed the dust and dirt that coated the surface of the street. "Marco! His name is Marco Valdez! He runs his operation out of the warehouse!"

The man with the tattoo considered this for a minute. He knew that there was activity out of the warehouses down the road, but had no idea that it was a human trafficking ring. The odds were they also dealt in weapons and drugs. That was the typical gangster agenda. Sometimes other illegal goods, like jewelry and diamonds, or whatever happened to be on the list of banned goods at the time. He remembered working for a man a few years ago that ran an exotic animal trade, selling to circuses and private owners such as celebrities. It was a lucrative business. Until the feds showed up, that is.

Making his decision, he looked at the back of the cowboy's head one last time. "Give me one good reason why I should not cut off your balls before I kill you." When he didn't get an answer, he let out a sigh. "Fine. I hope she was worth whatever you got out of the deal, because I am taking everything you have. Now then, I am going to give you to the count of ten to get out of here before I change my mind. And if I find a single hair on her head harmed in any way, you will be a dead man."

Taking the knife in hand, he cut the straps to the cowboy's pack and pouches, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and shoved him forward. The man took no time in running as fast as he could down the street and around the corner.

 _Now it is time to go find the girl._ With that, he shouldered his rifle and strode down the road towards the warehouse where the blonde was being held hostage.

The Smith Brothers warehouse towered over him as he skirted around the side towards the loading dock, keeping an eye open for any sentries or guards. It was fairly silent, and there was no sign of activity to be found. The loading dock itself had a couple trailers docked and unhitched, and there were crates stacked up outside. There were quite a few of them, and they were carefully stacked in neat rows. He wondered what was in them, as there were quite a few possibilities.

He decided that the stack closest to the end of the docking bay would be the best way to get a look inside, and started climbing his way up and over. It was still fairly quiet, although he could now hear movement on the inside. Once he reached an open bay door, he poked his head inside to get a better idea of what he had to deal with. It was as he had imagined it. Men moving crates and loading them onto the trailers, guards on the catwalks above, and a small corner of the warehouse segregated by some pale blue tarps. He could see that the crates were being filled on the far end, and just as he suspected, they were primarily weapons. Most looked to be guns and explosives.

What he didn't see was where the girl was being held. It was possible that she was locked away in one of the offices or storage rooms, but getting to those was going to be difficult. He couldn't very well blend in with the men working inside as most were not Caucasian. He suspected they were Colombian, or some other South American cartel. That meant he'd very clearly stick out. Going in under those conditions would be reckless.

Luckily, there was a row of crates and boxes directly inside the bay door, allowing him to sneak in to get a better view. The row ran all the way to the wall, and just on the other side was the open door to an office. Hopping over the boxes, he landed with the grace of a cat and ducked inside the room. Inside was poorly lit, but he could see there was a man sitting at a desk facing the other direction. The desk itself was hidden beneath a pile of white packages that he suspected were filled with cocaine. The man sitting there was preoccupied, and didn't notice he wasn't alone anymore.

Raising his rifle, he crept over to the man and placed the barrel against the back of his head. The man froze in place, and then slowly moved his hand towards a gun that was sitting on the top of the desk. "I would not do that if I were you, my friend."

The man stopped just short of the pistol, then slowly raised his hands above his head. "How can I help, _amigo_?"

"I am looking for someone. A girl. She was brought here earlier."

Hesitating for a moment, the man shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"The girl, she has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She came here earlier with a man pretending to be a cowboy."

The man shrugged again. "I told you I don't know-"

"Do not fuck with me. I know that you know the girl. Now tell me before I blow your fucking head off!" He was starting to get very impatient.

There was silence for a minute before the man spoke. When he did, he actually sounded a little nervous. "If there was some _niña_ here, she would be upstairs."

"Thank you, comrade," the tattooed man said as he pulled out his knife. Quickly, he grabbed the man by the head and ran the blade across his throat, slitting it open. As the man gurgled and choked on his own blood, he slowly slumped over until his head hit the top of the desk.

He wasted no time, and made his way to the other side of the office. He had seen that the stairs were just outside the door, but it would be difficult to make it up without being seen. Taking a quick glance out into the warehouse, he saw that the largest concentration of men were on the south side, near the front of the building. He also saw that the few guards up on the catwalks were nowhere nearby, which was more than convenient. It was possibly the most ideal situation he was going to get.

Taking a deep breath, he took a chance and crept out to the foot of the stairs. They were tucked away in a corner, one that was fairly obscured by more crates and boxes, and a forklift. As he set a foot on the first step of the stairs, the whole thing made a metallic creak and shifted slightly as he put more weight onto it. It made him nervous, and he scanned the area to ensure nobody was near enough to hear. When he saw it was clear, he took his chance. To his surprise, he was able to make it halfway up before he was exposed, and even then many of the men below wouldn't be able to see him until it was too late. Those on the catwalk, though, had a clear shot at him should he be spotted. They didn't seem to be very attentive, though, as he made it the rest of the way up the stairs without anyone noticing. In fact, they didn't seem to pay any attention at all on that portion of the warehouse.

At the top, he sneaked into the office that more than likely belonged to the man in charge. It smelled of tobacco and cheap cologne, and it gave him a slight headache. The room itself was large and rather empty, except for the brick of cocaine that was spilled out atop the only table, and at the back of the room was a hallway off to the side. Sidling up to the wall and peering around the corner, he saw another guard that was leaning against the wall with a most disinterested look on his face. He had an AK-47 propped against the wall beside him, and his arms were crossed in front of him. He could have been mistaken for being asleep, as he made no movement or noise.

Looking for something to throw, he found a glass with what he assumed was liquor still in it and tossed it across the room. It exploded into dozens of tiny shards as it struck the wall, and it was enough to get the guard's attention. He came running out with his rifle in hand, cursing as he saw the glass shattered on the floor. Immediately, he was tackled to the floor by the tattooed man, and they struggled on the ground as he brought out his knife and attempted to bear down on the man. They wrestled and struggled until he was on top. As he made an effort to stab downwards, he realized the guard was almost strong enough to keep him from pushing further. Eventually the man tired out, and was overtaken. The knife slowly bore its way into his chest, making the sickening sound of bone breaking and snapping, just above the heart. The tattooed man leaned into it, putting all his weight behind the blade, until it finally stopped at the hilt. The guard finally gave out, and laid still as the knife was pulled free.

He regathered himself as he stood back up, and wiped his knife off on the guard's sleeve. Then he turned his attention to the door down the hall. It was old and rusted, and from the looks of it had seen better days. There were dents and chipped paint everywhere. It still said "Storage" in thick, bold letters, though some of it had been clearly scraped away at some point. As he jostled the handle, he cursed under his breath that it was locked. _Like it would be that easy._

Listening intently at the door, he knocked several times before calling out. "Girl, are you in there?"

Silence. He waited several seconds before trying again, but before he could say anything he heard a shuffling sound on the other side. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it was there.

"Girl, stand back from the door. I am going to get you out."

Bracing himself, he took a step back then sprang forward, kicking with the full weight of his body at the door. It rattled, but did little else. Then he tried again, and again. The door simply would not budge. Choosing to throw caution to the wind, he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the handle, then fired. The shot reverberated off the walls, but sounded muffled and dulled by the acoustics of the room. He only prayed that nobody heard it.

With the handle destroyed, the door swung open easily, if not noisily. The storage room was pitch black, and was unusually hot. It took several moments for his eyes to adjust, and he reached for the side pouch of his bag and retrieved a flashlight. Once on, it lit up the room nicely, but he didn't see the girl anywhere. Confused, he stepped further into the room. That's when he heard something shift and fall behind him.

It came fast and out of the dark, and struck him in the arm, followed by screaming. Then it struck him again, and again, until finally he grabbed what turned out to be a broom handle and yanked it from the girl's hands. Frightened, she jumped backwards and tripped, knocking over some cleaning supplies in the process. When he shined his light at her, she threw her hands up to shield herself and curled into a ball.

"Please! Don't hurt me! Just get away!" she pleaded hysterically.

"Damn it, girl! I am not going to hurt you," he replied. "I have come to get you out of here."

It took her a moment, but she recognized his voice. "It's you! The man with the accent from earlier. The one Randall almost killed."

"Oh, you mean the cowboy? The one that left you here to be sold to some rich man?"

"Yes. Him. He lied to me, told me I'd be safe here. But he's just like everyone else!" She climbed to her feet, but kept her distance from him.

It was obvious to him just how upset she really was. "We can worry about that later. Right now, we have to get you out of here. I have a place not far from here. I will take you there, then we can figure out what to do after."

"Why should I go anywhere with you? What's to stop you from betraying me too?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he let out a muted sigh. "Why would I go through all the trouble to rescue you, if all I am going to do is betray you? But, if you really wish to stay here, then I will be on my way." With that, he shrugged, turned, and began to walk out of the storage room.

The girl panicked with desperation. "No! Wait! Please don't leave me here!"

"Make up your mind. Are you coming with me or no?"

The girl slowly nodded. Letting out another sigh, he motioned for her to follow and headed for the door.

Peering out of the window looking out over the warehouse below, the tattooed man tried to formulate some sort of exit strategy. It was going to be incredibly difficult, especially considering he didn't want to leave the way he came in. The building was huge, and there was an entire section of offices further along the level they were on that they could possibly use to escape. He didn't particularly feel up to going out guns blazing, but if he must then that was what he would do. Unfortunately, with so many men downstairs, he doubted that he and the girl would survive. It wouldn't be the first time he faced impossible odds, but he preferred not to stare death in the face when it was avoidable.

They exited the office and headed back down the rickety stairs, and followed the wall heading south to the front of the building. There were more crates and other things piled up that allowed them to move from stack to stack without being spotted, and as they got closer to the south end they spotted a door leading east. It didn't take them long to reach it, and to their surprise the door was unlocked. On the other side was a hallway that had what looked to be more offices on either side.

Quietly, they crept as they made their way down the corridor, stopping at each door to check for potential threats. This part of the building was dark, indicating that it wasn't in any form of use, and at the end of the hall it split off to the north and south. South would take them closer to the front of the building, but the likelihood of there being guards that way was rather high. There weren't any that posed a threat from the northeast end where the tattooed man had entered, but that was a bit of a walk in the opposite direction from where they were originally headed.

Before he could make a decision on which way to lead them, they heard the door they had come through just moments ago swing open followed by heavy footsteps. Quickly, they ducked into one of the offices at the end of the hall and hid behind an upturned desk and filing cabinet. Through the window on the door he could see several men walk by, all talking and paying little attention to the rooms they passed. Seconds later the sounds of chatter and shuffling feet faded into the distance, and an eerie silence fell upon the place once more.

"Are they gone?" the girl whispered timidly.

"For now," the tattooed man replied as he stood and crept to the door. Peeking out into the hall, he checked to see if any stragglers had been left behind. "They might come back, so we need to be gone from here. Stick close and I will get you out of here."

He had decided that they would move south and take their chances with the guards there. It wasn't far, and they had managed to make it to the exit without incident. On the other side they could hear more talking, and as he listened at the door he could hear a low mechanical rumble, like the engine of a van or truck.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "We need to go the other way. There are too many men outside here."

The girl simply nodded, and as they turned to go the door behind them rattled open. The sound forced them into a run, and they heard shouting coming from behind them. At the end of the hall they came to a set of double doors, burst their way through them as fast as they could, and kept running. They heard gunshots fired off behind them, but everything seemed to hit the walls around them. The hall continued until it split off one more time, now heading north and east. Taking a chance, he guided them eastward down the new corridor, and ducked them into another office. This one had a window that looked out over the parking lot, and he decided this would be their escape. With the door shut, he grabbed the lone desk in the center of the room and began to push. When she saw what he was doing, the girl got on the opposite side and helped slide it behind the door.

Raising his rifle, he aimed and began to shoot out the glass of the window. It was thick and double-paned, and apparently shatter resistant. The noise didn't go unnoticed, as they heard more shouting coming from down the hall. In a panic, he fired several more shots until the window began to split, splintering in several places. Then, suddenly, the glass in the door behind them exploded inward as one of the men in the hallway began firing into the room. This caused them to duck to either side, the girl sliding down against the wall and shielding herself with her arms. The tattooed man took potshots at the men in the hallway, taking down a couple that weren't quick enough to get out of the way.

The girl took advantage of the distraction and ran to grab the chair that had been behind the desk. Picking it up, she yelled as loud as she could as she put all her weight behind it and threw the chair at the window. Bits of the glass broke off, and she did it again and again, each time breaking off more of the window. With one last try, the chair went through and busted out a large hole in the glass.

 _Well done, girl._ The man fired several more times as he made his way to the window, and motioned for her to climb through. As she made her way out, he dug something out of one of the side pockets of his bag and tossed it through the broken window on the door. The men in the hall shouted and stopped firing as they moved out of the way, and as he made his way out of the window there was an mild explosion on the opposite side of the door.

Out in the parking lot, they ran as fast as they could and made their way back onto the street. There was more shouting behind them, but they weren't sure how far away it was. Once across the street, they looked back and saw several vehicles winding their way out of the compound and onto the road they were on. Grabbing her by the arm, the tattooed man dragged the girl into an abandoned bookstore and ordered her to get behind the counters. As she did as she was told, found a dark corner and watched the men drive by in several pickup trucks.

There they waited for quite some time, when finally he moved from his perch and went to check on the girl. When he looked behind the counter, he saw her curled up and slowly rocking back and forth. "You are safe now, girl," he said as calmly as he could. "They seemed to have missed us, and unless we move, they will be back and find us."

She didn't respond right away, instead just continued to rock herself as she stared at nothing. Finally, she looked up at him and had tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Why did you come for me? What do you care what happens?"

"A couple reasons," he said with a shrug. "You are very pretty, and I cannot stand the idea of a pretty girl like you being hurt or sold for sex. Also, you remind me of my sister. Now then, let us get out of here before those men return." As she stood so they could leave, he looked at her over his shoulder. "Do you have a name, girl?"

Again, she hesitated. She didn't know if she should trust this man, but he did risk his life to save her. Though the more she thought about it, the more she realized he's the only person to have ever done something like that for her. Maybe he deserved at least a name. "Elsa. My name is Elsa."

The man smirked a little at her. "That is a pretty name for a pretty girl."

"What about you? What's your name?"

"My name is Sasha. Now then, let us get you to safety."


	5. Chapter 4 - Trust Issues

**Chapter 4**

 _Trust Issues_

Splintered rays of the moon's light filtered in through the dusty windows of the old tavern. In its heyday the place saw all sorts of patrons, and attracted quite a number of local musicians that were looking to play a gig. The smell of cigarette smoke had seeped into the walls and ceiling, and the stench was still present years later. The numerous tables were busted, knocked over, or piled in a corner. Most of the accompanying chairs and bar stools lay scattered about in pieces. Only a couple tables and chairs were left standing.

Behind the bar, Sasha dug through a pile of debris in the hopes of finding a bottle of anything still intact. While he busied himself with such a fruitless task, Elsa practically collapsed into one of the remaining stools. She eyed him for a couple minutes before finally growing curious enough to ask what he was doing.

"I had hoped that there would be something worth drinking," he answered as he straightened himself, stretching and arching his back as he did so. "Unfortunately, there is nothing here."

"Aren't you worried that those men will come back and find us?" she asked wearily.

Kicking an empty bottle across the tavern, he grinned slightly and shook his head. "They are not smart men. Besides, we managed to lose them several blocks back. I am not concerned with them any longer."

Elsa drummed her fingers on the bar top, and looked over the place for what was likely the twentieth time since they had arrived. Nothing had changed; the tavern was still a mess. It was, however, a habit that she couldn't quite break. She scanned over every table, every pile of rubble and debris, every cracked window, and every horrible wall decoration for something, anything, to distract her from their situation. There were some awful men looking for them – for her – and it unnerved her. In the span of a day, she had managed to be hunted down by every man she had ever come into contact with; only one wasn't presently trying to kill her, sell her off, or capture her to perform heinous experiments on.

Turning her attention back to her companion, Elsa sighed and hunched over the edge of the bar. "Are we planning on staying here for the night?"

Sasha simply shrugged at her. "It is as good as anywhere. We have a roof over our head, shelter from those men, and running water. Anyway, we are still quite a way away from my apartment, and I do not think we will be returning there."

"Why's that?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, Sasha leaned back against the bar and crossed his arms. "Because they would likely find us there. I lived close to the warehouse that I found you in. It would not take them long to hunt us down."

She didn't say any more, but simply nodded. The last thing she wanted was to deal with those men again. What she really wanted was to find some place to hide from the world and disappear. She had spent so much of her life hidden away behind a cell door that it would be no chore to just slip away for good. Those dark thoughts had haunted her for years, but she wasn't sure she could ever bring herself to follow through.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Elsa grew slightly nervous at her next question. "So, why did you come for me? You don't even know me."

Chuckling, Sasha began digging through another pile of debris. When he finally found a bottle with some liquid still in, he opened the top and took a whiff. "Ah! Rum. Care for a drink?" When she shook her head, he looked a little displeased. "Why did I save you? I already told you why. I do not like to see pretty girls in trouble."

This made Elsa blush slightly. No one had ever called her pretty before. "That can't be the only reason."

"No, it is not. You remind me of my sister, as I said," he said as he busied himself with finding a glass in the pile of garbage. "Also, you do not look like you are from the city. You look like a prisoner."

Elsa didn't know what to say. There was no way he knew, but she didn't think he needed to know where she was from or how she got there. The fact that he was able to tell just by looking at her told her that she needed to get out of her prison jumpsuit and find some real clothes. Unfortunately, everything appeared to lay in ruins, and she had no idea where she would even find anything to wear.

"It is late. You should get some sleep," Sasha said, bringing her back out of her thoughts.

"No, I'm fine," Elsa replied, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.

"You are a bad liar. Go to sleep."

Elsa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why do you want me to go to sleep so badly?"

 _"Uperta divchyna."_ He shifted slightly, clicked his tongue, and shook his head in frustration. "You are afraid I will do something to you."

Fidgeting with her hands, Elsa let out a restrained sigh. "What's to stop you?"

"I have no interest in hurting a defenseless girl. Now, if you had a gun, that would be different," he said with a grin. "Besides, why do you think I want to hurt you?"

Crossing her arms in front of her, Elsa huffed and looked away from him. "Because that's all anyone ever does. Everyone wants to hurt me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Forget it."

Giving up his search for a glass, Sasha righted himself and looked her right in the eyes. "I will tell you right now, I will do nothing but watch over you while you sleep. I do not want to hurt you. I am not like the cowboy, or the Spaniard. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already."

"That doesn't change what I said," she said indignantly. "I don't know you, so excuse me for not trusting you completely. The last person I trusted had me locked away for a very long time, and so far, no one has proven to be any better."

"Well, if you prefer, I can leave you here and let you survive on your own. You will never see me again," he offered with a shrug. "Just don't cry when those men find you, or you run into the Russians and get killed or taken prisoner. Trust me; killing you will be the nicest thing they would do to you."

Wrapping her arms around herself, Elsa's face flushed as she stared down at the floor in shame. "That's not what I meant..."

"Then go get some sleep. We will move out before the sun is up."

00000

Morning came quickly, but the long shadows cast by the twilight of the sun's rise contrasted heavily with the radiant hues peaking over the horizon, making it difficult for Elsa to see much in the haze of exhaustion. She hadn't slept well at all, having found a handful of bar towels that weren't completely filthy and balled them up into a makeshift pillow. Her neck was stiff and sore, and the rest of her body wasn't much better off. It wasn't until she was fully awake that she realized just how banged up she was from the day before.

Her companion, on the other hand, seemed just as alert and ready as he did when she first met him. His mood hadn't diminished, he was still quick on his feet, and he at least seemed to know where they were going. He had already led them a couple blocks east from the tavern, though where he was leading them, she had no idea.

It wasn't until the sun was finally in the eastern skies that they stopped for more than a minute or two. Elsa's stomach was growling, and as she thought about it, she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast back at the facility. Now that the hunger pains had set in, she became aware of the fact that that was likely why she had no energy. If she could just grab a quick snack, a small nibble of anything, she'd be alright.

As if reading her mind, Sasha reached into his bag and pulled out what looked like a granola bar. "Eat this. I do not need you collapsing on me."

Without hesitation, Elsa grabbed it from him and started tearing at the wrapper ravenously. When she finally won out and tore through the thing, she all but swallowed the thing whole. When she was done, she realized how rude she had been. "Thank you."

"Eh, no problem. We will not be stopping for a little while, and the part of the city we are going to is in worse shape than this," he said as he shouldered his bag once more.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Elsa asked as she licked her fingers clean.

"The Russians call it the lower quadrant. I have a couple friends there that can help."

This caused her to stop dead in her tracks. "That's the same thing Randall said before he handed me over to Marco..."

It was clear that she was terrified, and this irritated Sasha a bit. "Cowboy was a liar. I am not. If I was, you would not have woken up this morning."

"That doesn't prove anything!"

"Fine. Stay here if you like. I am going on without you. I saved you from the Spaniard and his men, and now my job is done," he said without missing a step, leaving her where she stood.

"Wait!" Elsa called out as she hurried to catch up to him. "I just want to know that I can trust you! That you won't just hand me off to some more sleazy men!"

"If I was going to betray you at all, I would have done so by now," Sasha groaned. "I have had plenty of opportunities to do so. Why must we keep having this discussion?"

"Because I need to know I can trust you!"

"Then stop questioning everything I do and have some fucking faith!"

There was silence for several seconds. They just stared at one another, neither budging in their resolve. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Elsa's features softened and she shifted her eyes to something off in the distance.

"You're right," she finally admitted, defeated. "I haven't been fair to you, even though you rescued me. But you have to understand that nobody I've met in my entire life has been trustworthy. My mother and father included."

"I do not know what happened to you, and it is none of my business. I promised to help you, and that is what I am trying to do." Sasha nodded towards the northeast. "My friends, they will help us. They will have food, ammo, and clothes for you so you can get rid of that jumpsuit. From there, we can figure out what to do next. But you are going to have to trust me."

Elsa took a deep breath as she tried to recompose herself. "Okay. I will trust you. But I have questions."

"You can ask them as we walk. Now, come on," he commanded.

"Okay," she said as she tried to keep pace with the man. "Where are you from? You said you aren't Russian, but you have the accent."

"I am from Ukraine. We are not Russian," he proclaimed adamantly, "although we share history with them. You must know that from school, yes? Of the Soviet Union?"

Elsa shook her head.

"Typical. Stupid Americans."

"If you think so little of us, why did you come here?" she asked defensively.

"I had to get out of the old country. Things were not so good there."

As they turned onto the next street, Elsa finally saw some of the damage Sasha had hinted at. Part of the road caved in, revealing a section of the sewer below. A couple of tall buildings laid toppled across the street in partially intact sections. The road they had just turned off of was blocked off as well, leaving them very little choice.

"Alright, we will have to climb through the buildings," he informed her. "It will not be very easy, but it is the fastest way to where we are headed."

As they approached the collapsed buildings, it dawned on her just how big the buildings had been. They appeared to be primarily office buildings, but they were large enough to cause some serious damage when they fell. Elsa suspected that they were what caused the road to collapse. The wreckage towered over them, and it was strange to see the outside of it had vines creeping up the sides. In fact, now that she thought back on it, there was a lot of overgrowth throughout the city, or at least where she had been. To her, it was rather interesting how nature could survive in such conditions.

They entered through a large crack in the side of the building, and she was immediately taken aback by the maze of collapsed walls, office furniture, old wiring, and rusty steel beams. Sasha led her through what she thought used to be a lunch room and into the office that would have been below it.

Inside were mostly rubble and an upturned desk, and the wall that would have served as the new ceiling was gone. Above was a doorway that led out into another hall, provided they could reach it. "Okay, come here. I am going to boost you up. Then you are going to take this rope and find something to tie it to, then drop the other end down for me. Think you can do that?"

Elsa had a look of determination on her face. "Yeah, I think I can."

Moving into position beneath the doorway, Sasha cradled his hands for Elsa to step onto, then pushed her up. She struggled at first, but was finally able to slither her way in through the gap in the door. As she looked around, she found a beam that looked sturdy enough to hold his weight. Quickly, she tied off the rope and sent the other end down.

Tugging on the rope a couple times to make sure it was stable, Sasha began to pull himself up with what appeared to be little effort. His backpack and rifle didn't seem to get in his way at all, which amazed Elsa. It wasn't long before he was up and through the doorway with her. "See? That was easy enough. But next time, I had better teach you how to tie a rope."

As they wound their way through the hallway beyond the door, they were forced to climb another pile of concrete. This time there was no hole in the ceiling or doorway for them to head through. They searched the room for an opening, and finally found a large crack in the side leading to what used to be the men's restroom. There was broken tile and glass everywhere, and water trickled out through the rusted pipes into a pool below. It was mostly stagnant, and smelled terrible, but it was the only way through to the next floor.

Once they made it into what looked like was once a large conference room, Elsa finally decided it was time for some more answers. "So, um, what exactly happened?"

"What do you mean?" Sasha asked as he shimmied sideways through another crack in the wall.

"I mean, how did all of this happen? The city is utterly destroyed."

This caused Sasha to pause, turn, and look at her puzzled. "What are you talking about? You know what happened."

Hesitantly, Elsa started fidgeting with her hands. "Well, I was gone... For a very long time. Do you remember how I told you I trusted my parents and they betrayed me?"

"Yes, but-"

"Well, they sent me away when I was eight," she explained. "I didn't know it at the time, but I was a danger to myself and my sister. Anyway, where they sent me I had no contact with the outside world. None. I didn't even have a TV or newspaper or anything. I was finally able to get away just yesterday, and it was a complete accident that I did. Then I met Randall, and... Well, you know the rest. So I have no idea what is going on. This is not the Arendelle I knew as a child."

Sasha considered her for several moments before answering her. "War happened," he said as he removed his backpack. "Okay. We will rest here."

00000

They sat in relative silence as they ate, neither paying much attention to the other. Their meal wasn't much, as it was mostly dry rations and bottled water, but it was more than Elsa had eaten in over twenty-four hours. The rest, however, was embraced by both. Having had little sleep, taking a break from navigating the wreckage was a welcome change of pace. As far as Elsa was concerned, she could have easily fallen asleep sitting up, and she was pretty sure that Sasha could too, whether he'd admit to it or not.

Once they had finished and the last crumb was savored, they readied themselves to move onward. They weren't quite done traversing the toppled building, though Sasha insisted that they were close. After climbing over a crumbled wall and through another office, they stopped for a moment to orient themselves and find another route.

"Shit," Sasha muttered under his breath. "It looks like we will have to find another way around."

"There was another hallway in the last room we were in. We could go that way." Elsa suggested.

As they turned to go, Elsa thought back to the comment Sasha had made. _War happened._ She had no idea what that really meant. She didn't understand what it had to do with the Russians, or why Arendelle was a wasteland, or where the people had gone. But mostly, she feared what it might have meant for her family. They were the reason she returned to the city after all. As much as her parents had hurt her, she still loved them. She missed them dearly, but she missed Anna even more.

Once they reached the hallway, they had to duck down and crawl through a tight opening under the collapsed wall. It was difficult to squeeze through, and it got relatively dark roughly halfway through, but they were able to make it to the other end without too much trouble. They emerged into a large, open room that looked out over the street outside, meaning they had made it through the first building.

"You mentioned something about a war," Elsa stated as they climbed down the pile of concrete leading down to the street. "What did you mean? What happened?"

"It is... Complicated," Sasha said as he caught his breath.

"How is it complicated?"

"There is too much to tell," he said with a shrug. "Lots of little things led up to what happened. Some things, not so little. A lot of it comes from bad blood from during the Cold War."

Elsa's brow furrowed as she shook her head. "I don't know what that is."

"I am not surprised," Sasha said with a chuckle. "You are too young, and I doubt they teach about it in your schools."

"Even if they did, I was locked up, remember? I never went to school."

"I remember. You have much to learn. Can you read and write?"

"Yes. They taught us that much where I was," Elsa admitted.

"At least you have that."

They started to make their way through the next building, which was in worse shape than the first. There was more rubble to climb over, and the upper wall had collapsed more than on the previous building, creating more tight spaces to crawl through than before. The lucky thing was that the building was much smaller, so it wouldn't take them nearly as long to get through. At least that's what Elsa hoped for. She was tired of climbing through wreckage.

"So can you at least tell me why the Russians are here?" she pleaded as they climbed the next mountain of concrete.

"They invaded a couple years ago," he informed her as they crested the pile of rubble. "The United States' defenses were shut down by some terrorists, and the Russians and Chinese decided to attack. The Americans were completely defenseless."

"But why did they want to invade?" Elsa asked, confused.

"As I said, it is complicated. There was bad blood from the Cold War, among other things." Sasha said with a shrug.

"Like what?"

"Like the West's oppression of communism," he replied, "pushing their capitalist ideals on the Eastern Bloc. The fact that Russia wanted to bring back the Soviet Union. The Americans stepped on a lot of toes in the Middle East as well, including Russia's allies. Then there was the fact that Russia was selling nuclear weapons to the terrorists."

As they came to another collapsed wall, Sasha stopped and turned towards her. "That was the worst part. The terrorists had some nukes. The terrorists that Russia had funded and put into action to begin with. They were from Ukraine as well, and they had connections with other terrorist groups, like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. They wanted to return Ukraine and the neighboring countries to the old Soviet Union, and were willing to destroy the West to do so."

"So Russia invaded the United States because of some bad history and disagreements?" Elsa asked with confusion, her brow furrowed as she thought. She didn't know who these terrorists were, or even where Ukraine was. Most of it made no sense to her.

Making their way through the tunnel the collapsed wall had created, Elsa and Sasha were beginning to tire. It had proven to be more taxing and exhausting to navigate the debris, and felt like an obstacle course with no foreseeable end. When they finally made it through to the other side, they could finally see the outer wall of the tower. They could see the street beyond through a massive break in the wall, and saw that a column of Russian tanks were driving by just a couple blocks away.

"Damn it," Sasha exclaimed, "we will have to wait a bit. Might as well take a break. As for your question, I told you it was far more complicated than that."

"I'm not going to understand if you don't tell me," Elsa replied as she stretched, finding a place to rest on a large slab of cement.

"How about this. You answer my questions and I will answer yours," he suggested. "Deal?"

Elsa let out a sigh, shot him a wary look, and nodded.

"Good. What were you doing with Cowboy?" he asked as he leaned forward on his knees.

Folding her arms, Elsa leaned back against the wall behind her and looked skyward. "When I got to town these men chased me. I think they were Russian soldiers. I ran from them and hid myself inside some old shoe store. Then I heard gunshots, and a minute later a man entered the store demanding I come out of hiding. I was terrified, but I did as I was told. Then he told me to follow him, and that he was going to get me to safety."

"Why were you at the outskirts of town?"

"I... don't want to talk about it." Elsa drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

Sasha grinned. "You said you came to town. Where from?"

"I told you I don't want to talk about it!" Elsa was becoming visibly annoyed by his questions.

"Then what did you come to Arendelle for?"

Looking down at the ground, Elsa's mood changed drastically. "I'm looking for my family."

"The same family that betrayed you?" Sasha asked with a bark of laughter. "You make little sense, girl."

"They didn't completely betray me," she said defensively. "They were lied to by some bad people. Besides, Anna didn't do anything wrong."

"She is your sister?"

Staring at the ground, Elsa's eyes started to mist over as she thought about Anna. "Yeah."

"If you really want to find them, then we will have to head to the inner city and start checking the compounds," he said with a nod, as if that settled the matter.

Elsa stared at him with her mouth open. "What? What do you mean, 'we'?"

"You are going to need help getting into the inner city," he said with a shrug. "The compounds are dangerous and heavily guarded, and once you get inside, getting back out will be even harder. There are several of them, and we do not know which one your family would be in... If they even survived the attack."

"Wait a second." Rising to her feet, Elsa paced towards the hole that looked out over the street below. "When did I say I needed help finding my family? I'm sorry, but this isn't your problem."

"Do not be stupid. You would never make it to the compounds on your own," he replied. "You need me, and I am not leaving you alone to die."

Letting out a restrained sigh, Elsa rested her head against the crumbling wall as she watched the procession of tanks pass by. "Alright. I'll let you help me find my family."

This seemed to satisfy Sasha, as he didn't push the issue further. "First, we get you some new clothes. Then we get you a gun and teach you how to use it. After that, we find your family."


	6. Chapter 5 - Mother Margaret

**CHAPTER 5**

 _Mother Margaret_

 _It was cold. Much colder than he liked, and he had lived in Ukraine almost his entire life. He should have been used to the freezing weather, and the vodka coursing through his veins should have taken the bite out of the chilled wind. Should have, but didn't. It should have calmed his nerves some. It should have dulled them until the jitters were gone, but for some reason, he was still anxious._

 _His eyes darted back and forth along the street as he took another drag from the cherry-tipped cigarette clasped between his fingers. Every now and then, someone would wander by and see the man propped against the old brick wall next to a darkened alley, but all they would think was he was loitering. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. He also kept telling himself that standing outside a five-story apartment building in western Kiev at 10 o'clock at night on a Friday by himself was perfectly normal. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to believe it._

 _With one final drag, he flicked the cigarette butt to the ground and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, then took a deep breath. He had been waiting for over half an hour, and his partner was late. They were losing precious time, and the job might not get finished the way it was meant to. If something were to go wrong, or the job were to go unfinished altogether, there would be hell to pay. Their boss would see to it that they were dead by morning._

 _At a quarter past 10, a pair of bright white headlights turned onto the street. As he straightened himself, the car rolled up to to the curb and stopped. It was loud, much louder than necessary, and had those ridiculous bright blue neon lights underneath the car. When he walked over and tapped on the tinted glass of the door, the window rolled down with an electric hum and a plume of smoke escaped into the night air._

 _"You know those things will kill you," he said in an annoyed tone._

 _"Fuck you. How long have you been sitting out here, Sasha?"_

 _"Longer than I would have liked," Sasha replied, even more irritated than before. "Now let us get this done so we can go home. Unless you want to be on Alexei's shit list."_

 _The man in the vehicle laughed. "Fuck that fat shit. He thinks he can send us out in this weather to deal with his problems? Collect debts on loans he never should have given? Fuck him."_

 _He'd heard this hundreds of times before, and didn't care anymore this time than he did the last. So Sasha simply rolled his eyes and grinned. "Sure. You tell him that, Dimitri, and see how far that gets you. Now come on. We have a job to do."_

 _They made their way into the foyer of the apartment building, and climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor. The interior of the building was substantially warmer than the outside, which was to Sasha's liking. He felt he had nearly frozen stiff waiting outside for his companion._

 _Approaching apartment 13, Dimitri beat his fist against the door several times. "Open up, Viktor! We know you're in there!"_

 _Several seconds passed by before they heard the frantic shuffling on the other side, followed by locks and chains being opened. The door finally opened, and a balding, middle-aged man in filthy clothes answered. He looked terrified, and his eyes darted up and down the hallway._

 _"Wh-who are y-you?" Viktor asked with a stutter._

 _Dimitri shoved the man back into the apartment, and Sasha quickly followed, closing the door behind him."You know who we are. You owe Alexei a lot of money, and we are here to collect."_

 _"I-I do not know w-what you are talking about."_

 _"Is that so?" Sasha asked, amused. "Maybe this will remind you."_

 _In a flash, Sasha threw his fist into Viktor's left cheek, sending the man to the floor with a yelp. Crawling and clawing his way back towards the wall, Viktor threw his arms up in self-defense, expecting another strike._

 _"I do not have the money! But I will! I have a few things I'm working on right now to get the money so I can pay Alexei back, just like I said I would! But please, I need more time!" he pleaded._

 _"You hear that, Sasha? He says he needs more time! Six fucking months wasn't long enough!" Dimitri taunted as he kicked Viktor in the side._

 _Sasha gave a half-hearted shrug. "I do not know. Perhaps Alexei would have been forgiving this one time. Maybe if you had made some sort of payment, instead of avoiding him, then we would not have to kill you."_

 _"K-k-kill me!?" Viktor panicked, eyes nearly bulging out of his skull._

 _"What did you think we were here to do? Have a nice chat?" Sasha mocked._

 _Crouching down next to the man, Dimitri pulled a gun out from inside his coat and held it relaxed in his hand. When he spoke, he used his hands and gestured with the gun as he did so. "Alexei is a generous man, is he not? Expecting nothing in return besides repayment, he loaned you a cool five-million hryven'. All he wants is for you, Viktor, to pay him back what you owe him, plus a little interest. So tell me, where is the money, Viktor? Where are you keeping it?"_

 _Viktor swallowed hard and stammered several times before answering. "T-there is a shoe box underneath my b-bed. It h-has two-million in it. That is all I have been able to get so far."_

 _With a signal from Dimitri, Sasha headed into the bedroom and began digging underneath the bed for the box. It was filthy with empty liquor bottles and cigarette cartons, but he finally found it near the headboard wrapped in a light gray towel. Pulling it out, he set it on the bed and unwrapped it. When he lifted the lid, he was surprised to see the money was actually there._

 _Once Sasha confirmed the box held the money, Dimitri turned his attention back to Viktor, who was still shaking and smelled of urine. "Two-million does not quite sound like five-million, now does it Viktor? Where is the rest of the money?"_

 _Viktor ran a hand through his thinning hair, sweat beading down his brow into his eyes."I-I have had p-problems getting the rest. B-but I have a few jobs lined up that will bring in the other three-million. Maybe even more."_

 _Standing back up with a sigh, Dimitri cracked his neck before staring down at the terrified man. "Sasha, I think we need to remind Mr. Kovalchuk what happens to people that cannot pay on their debts. He has had six months, and he does not have a guaranteed method of repaying the rest. You know what needs to be done."_

 _Pulling a gun out from under his jacket, Sasha walked up to Viktor and looked down at him with cold, uncaring eyes. He didn't see a man before him; just another bug to squish. A pest. A nuisance that needed to be addressed. Without a word, he raised the gun to the man's forehead, ignoring his pleas. Then, with no remorse or pity, he pulled the trigger._

00000

"Sasha?"

He didn't hear the voice at first, as he was lost in his own thoughts. Old memories creeping back into the forefront of his mind. Memories he desperately tried to bury. These memories of his... They complicated things. It was a different time, and he was a different man then. Now, he considered himself much wiser than he was in his youth. A man that had undergone metamorphosis into this new being. A changed man, for the better.

"Sasha!"

Suddenly the voice snapped him back to the present. The memories quickly faded back into the dark recesses of his mind where he hoped they would remain, locked away in a cage for the remainder of his days. He shook his head slightly, and the images that were burned into his vision slowly began to dissolve.

Finally, he acknowledged the girl speaking to him. "Sorry. I was remembering some things."

"You had me worried. You had a really distant look in your eyes," Elsa replied. "What was it anyway?"

"It was nothing," he said quickly, trying to avoid answering her. "Nothing you would be interested in."

It was approaching evening, with the sun setting out over the water to the west. The sky was a lovely hue of pink and red, and the fading light illuminated the little cloud coverage there was. The light cast long, exaggerated shadows along the ground, causing the couple's silhouettes to take the form of strange alien-like beings. The heat of the afternoon still lingered, and the humidity was still harsh enough to cause them both to perspire quite badly.

They continued to make their way to the northeastern side of the city, though it felt to Elsa that Sasha had been leading them closer to the inner portion of the city. He hadn't really disclosed where they were headed, or how far they had to go, just that they would be there soon. So, instead of questioning him further, Elsa decided it was better to just follow his lead and keep walking. Her feet were sore and her legs tired, but she refused to let him know that.

Eventually they came to a wide street, and saw that it was littered with broken down vehicles and an overturned bus. There were several dead bodies in the middle of the road, and a bright light shined upon them. This caused Sasha to stop dead in his tracks, and pulled Elsa back before she could go any further.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she was dragged backwards.

"Snipers."

"What? I don't know what that is," Elsa admitted.

Sasha flashed her a frustrated glance, then returned his gaze to the spotlight. "They are expert marksmen. They can spot you at 2.7 meters easily and target you at 1.6 kilometers. They are not to be underestimated. That light means there are sniper towers. We are near an outpost."

Elsa nodded her understanding and furrowed her brow as she thought. "That doesn't sound like something we want to deal with. Is there any way we can go around?"

The light began to sweep towards them, and Sasha pressed them both up against the wall as much as possible. "We might have to sneak through those houses across the street. There will be patrols coming through here soon. We are lucky we have not met any yet."

"So what do we do about the spotlight?" Elsa asked.

Looking towards the light's new location, Sasha ran a hand over his shaved head as he thought. "We wait for it to go the other way, then we move. But you will have to move as silently and quickly as possible. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, I think so. I've done it before."

"Have you now?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, but now is not the time," she reminded him. "Maybe I'll tell you later, if we manage to make it through all this."

They waited several minutes, nervously looking up and down the street for the patrols that they knew would come. When the light finally moved on, they quickly made their way across the road to a small house with a tall wooden fence that was battered by the weather and the fighting. The interior was mostly rubble, as one wall had collapsed inward and crushed the furniture and other things that were still inside. The rubble did provide cover from the light should it return, and they waited to make sure that it continued in the opposite direction.

"Do you think you can make it over that fence?" Sasha asked as they huddled behind pieces of the wall.

Elsa shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll find out."

With a determined look on her face, Elsa got up and ran towards the fence and leapt, catching the top of it. She then quickly pulled herself up and flipped over the top to the other side. Sasha looked on, dumbstruck by her acrobatics and speed. He didn't think she could do it, but she had proven him wrong. It was an impressive and pleasant surprise.

Once he had made it over the fence and joined her, they crept around to the back of the next house. There was a decent sized yard, and a tire swing hanged from a tall pine tree. An old, dirty and dusty dog house sat in the corner, and a small metallic slide lay tipped over on its side. The grass was tall, and it was dried and browned by the summer sun. It crunched loudly beneath their feet as they walked.

As they were about to climb over the next fence, the spotlight swung back in their direction, causing them to scramble back out of the way and behind the house. Out on the street they could hear talking, and Elsa knew immediately that it was a couple of soldiers. They were loud enough that they could be heard without straining to hear them, and their footsteps stopped right near the house.

"Is that the patrol?" Elsa asked in a whisper.

Sasha only nodded. He had no idea how long the men would stand there, but he had a feeling that they'd move once the light did.

By his count, it took nearly five minutes before they moved on with the light. They waited another thirty seconds before moving, and both ran to the fence and pulled themselves over. The next yard was much the same, albeit a little smaller. This one had bushes and flowers that had overgrown, and there was no sign of children having ever lived there.

They made their way across the next several yards with ease, then stopped again once the spotlight came back their way. Once again the patrol followed, but did not stop in front of the house like before. They were still talking loudly and moving slowly, seemingly not paying any attention at all to their route.

Crouching low to hide from the light, Elsa scooted backwards just a little bit, and bumped into a small table with a vase that held wilted flowers in it. It fell and shattered as it hit the ground, and both her and Sasha froze. The talking had stopped, and they were both sure that the soldiers had heard the noise.

Quickly, Sasha began to fiddle with the back door, but it was unfortunately locked. As he dug through his pocket, they could hear footsteps coming up the driveway on the other side of the fence. When he finally found what he was looking for, he pulled out a couple small metal rods and slid them inside the lock on the door. Seconds later, there was a metallic click, and they were inside the moment the door swung open.

The door led into the washroom where the washing machine and dryer were, and through there was the kitchen. There they ducked behind the counters and waited to see what the soldiers would do. When they heard the fence open and close, Elsa held her breath. She hoped they wouldn't enter the house; they had run out of places to hide. There were still the bedrooms, but she doubted there would be many places there either. The first place they would look is in the closets.

They could hear the men talking as they entered the gate leading to the backyard. _"Prover'te dom. Oni mogut byt' vnutri."_

Quietly, Sasha led them to the living room and spotted a window leading out to the side of the house. They could hear the men approaching the back of the house, if only barely, and hurriedly forced the window open. Without wasting any time, he pulled out his knife and started cutting the window screen out, and they heard the back door rattle open. A light shined in through the door and illuminated part of the living room, casting wild shadows from the furniture.

Ushering Elsa through the window, she landed outside rather easily and silently. Then as he handed her his bag and rifle, they could hear the footsteps coming through the kitchen. Sasha climbed through as fast and as quietly as he could, and was out just as the patrol entered the living room. They did the best they could to flatten themselves against the side of the house, and waited for the soldier to move on. Once they heard one of the doors inside open, they quickly hurdled themselves up and over the fence onto the sidewalk on the other side.

There were a couple abandoned cars on the street, but beyond that it was pretty empty. They could still see the towers and the spotlights, but it was pointed in the other direction and allowed for them to make a break for it. They ran down the street as fast and as far as they could, then rounded a corner and onto the next street. Once they felt they had run far enough, they slowed down to try and catch their breath.

Elsa didn't know how they had managed to make it through all of that, but she was thankful that they had. She knew she could have never done it on her own, and she was thankful to have met Sasha. Without him, she would have been dead a couple days ago. Without him, she never would have tasted freedom.

"Alright," Sasha said, breaking the silence. "Now, it is time we found somewhere to hide for the night. We can start again at first light."

00000

They found themselves in a two-story home, still furnished from before the invasion. The occupants appeared to have left in a hurry, as much of their belongings were still there. In the living room was an old grandfather clock, still ticking away years later. In the dining room there was a large, oval oak table with matching chairs, and cabinets full of expensive looking china and wine glasses. The bedrooms were cozy and welcoming, and the master bedroom looked out over the street below. They could still see the spotlights off in the distance, but they were far enough away that they posed no threat.

Closing the curtains, Sasha laid his pack and his gun down against the wall as Elsa flopped down on the bed. "You sleep in here. I will keep watch," he said as he stretched his arms.

"Aren't you going to get some sleep too? You must be tired," Elsa said as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"I will be fine," he assured her. "Maybe I will close my eyes for a few minutes. But I do not want to risk letting the Russians find us."

"Why are they so determined to hunt people down?" she asked behind another yawn.

Pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, Sasha barely looked at her. "You can thank the rebels for that."

"You keep talking about them. Who are they?"

"Many are soldiers that were able to survive the invasion and avoid capture," he said as he fished a cigarette from the pack. "Others are simply civilians that have taken up arms against the Russians."

"How come you haven't joined them?" she asked.

"I do not wish to be apart of another war. I have done enough fighting in my life, and have done things that I regret. None of it can be undone."

They fell silent for a time, both lost in their own thoughts. Elsa was thinking back to her childhood, trying to remember her family. The numerous times they visited her at the facility, and all the lies she was forced to tell them in order to protect herself and them. She looked forward to those visits mostly because Anna was always there. Anna was the only one that never betrayed her, and had completely forgiven her for what had happened.

She hoped Anna was alright. She didn't know how, but she was going to do everything she could to find her family, or at the very least her sister. Sasha had told her that there were compounds all over the city, and Elsa was convinced that they were in one of them. _I will search every single one if I have to._

"How many of those compounds are there in the city?" she finally asked.

Sasha thought for a moment before answering, trying to remember what he knew. "I believe there are eleven, maybe twelve. There is one nearby, which is why that outpost was there. Why?"

"Well, you said you were going to help me find my family. If so, then we're going to have to search as many as possible right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. But first, we visit my friends and get you ready," he reminded her. "Mother Margaret will be our first stop. She is a nice lady. A nun. The Russians were kind enough to not destroy her church and leave her in peace. She will have clothes and a few other supplies."

Elsa slowly nodded her head. "I'm going to need a weapon, aren't I?"

Leaning against the wall, Sasha folded his arms and considered her for several moments before answering. When he finally did, there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Probably. We can start you off with a knife and go from there. I can teach you how to fight."

"A knife. How will that help me if they have guns?"

This made Sasha grin. "You want to be a big girl and have a gun? Maybe we can make that work. I still want you to learn how to fight though."

"Okay, deal."

"Good. Now, get to sleep. We leave in a few hours," he said as he walked out the door.

00000

Morning came sooner than Elsa would have liked. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and she had managed to make a cocoon out of the blanket. She couldn't remember the last time she was able to do that. So when Sasha came into the room to wake her, she grunted and groaned until he ripped her free from the blanket. After several minutes of contemplating laying back down, she finally talked herself into getting up and getting ready to leave.

After a quick breakfast of protein bars and water, they were back on the road heading to the northeast. The sun had barely started its ascent over the mountains, so the morning air was still relatively cool compared to the heat of mid-afternoon. Elsa still rolled down the top half of her jumpsuit and tied it off at the waist, and Sasha threw his coat over his shoulder. They both walked as if they were without a care in the world, though the truth was they kept an eye on every building, street, and alleyway they came across. There was no letting down their guard, as much as they wanted to.

They walked in general silence for a time, not really talking unless it seemed important. Then Elsa once again had questions about the war. "What year did all of this happen?"

Sasha shot her a sidelong glance before speaking. "It is hard to tell. Many of the people I know believe it started with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. I was still in Ukraine at the time, and knew little about American politics. When Donald Trump won the election, a lot of people were very scared and angry. But, I think that would have happened anyway, no matter who won. It would seem that the U.S.'s politicians are just as corrupt and greedy as the rumors suggest. Kind of like Russia and much of the Middle East."

"That's the same year I was sent away," Elsa informed him.

"You were just a little girl. What could you have possibly done to be sent away?" he asked.

 _Something truly horrible. I'm a monster._

"I don't want to talk about it," she said instead.

"Alright. But I will not stop asking until you tell me," Sasha teased.

Elsa looked down at the ground and fell silent once more. Their conversation had taken a turn she didn't quite care for, and now she was withdrawing again. It was a struggle within her, trying to keep these secrets to herself. She desperately wanted to tell someone, and Sasha was right there. But she kept reminding herself that they had just met, that they were strangers that met on pure chance. She had come to the point where she trusted him, which only a couple days ago she was wary of him and his motives. But the more time she spent with him, the more she felt that he was trustworthy and a decent person. It was a conflict that she couldn't seem to quash, and it was slowly tearing her apart and driving her crazy. It was as if there were two voices in her head arguing, and neither was giving ground to the other.

"I hurt my sister," she said suddenly.

Sasha looked surprised that she had spoken, and was curious as to what she meant. "How did you hurt her?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is I hurt her badly, but it was a complete accident. I never meant to. But it scared my parents, and that's why I was sent away." Her mood had changed, and she was now depressed and sullen. She hated thinking about the incident altogether.

"If it was an accident, why were they scared?" he asked.

"Because I'm a monster," Elsa declared softly.

Sasha let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head in humor and amusement. "Girl, I know monsters, and you, you are no monster. You do not have it in you to do anything horrible. I have known you for two days now, and not once in that time have you acted like some monster. You are too good and innocent of a person for that."

"That's not how my parents looked at it."

"Well, your parents are foolish. But I am curious, where could they have sent you so young? You were what, eight years old I think you said? No place would imprison an eight year old girl."

Elsa grew nervous, and started to scratch at her arm. She was having trouble deciding if she should bother telling him, but finally decided not to. At least not yet. "It was a detention and research center for... Special children."

"And at this place, you were treated like a prisoner for accidentally hurting your sister?" Sasha asked, this time a bit more seriously.

As they turned onto the next street, Elsa sighed and hung her head. "Yeah, basically. I mean, they did some horrible things there, and no, I am not ready to talk about it. But I had no freedom, and I was there for thirteen years. I only know that because they let my parents visit on my birthday. Otherwise I would have no idea."

"Alright. Well, I find it very suspicious that your parents had you locked away at this place for thirteen years. What about your sister? Does she know what happened?" he asked.

Elsa shrugged, unsure how to answer. "I... Don't know. I never got to talk to just her. But I did apologize repeatedly for it, and she told me she forgave me and was never angry or upset with me. I think my parents did tell her what happened, at least a little bit. I doubt they told her everything though."

Sash simply nodded, and pointed to a large steeple just a couple blocks over from where they were. "That is where Mother Margaret is. She is a very sweet lady. It is a Catholic church, so hopefully that will not bother you."

"I don't even know what that means," Elsa admitted.

"Well, good. Then there should not be any problems," Sasha said with a grin.

Once they finally made their way to their destination, Elsa looked up at the building. It was gray and archaic, with arches built into the exterior walls. There were large, multicolored windows along the sides and above the main entrance, and they each formed pictures that she was not familiar with, although she did think they were beautiful. The top of the church came to a point, and at the top of the steeple was a large metal cross. The stonework itself was impressive, and the building gave a strange presence that she couldn't quite explain. She just knew that it was somehow important.

As they walked up the steps to the metal doors that seemed out of place, Elsa was struck by a feeling of awe. She couldn't explain it, and it made her insides twist with a tingling sensation. Whatever it was, it was starting to become overwhelming. Then, as they crossed the threshold into the church itself, a light ringing began in her ears, and her vision started to blur. Her head began to throb, and she lost the strength in her legs.

Sasha stopped and looked at her, and instantly became concerned. "Girl, are you alright?"

Elsa was gripping the side of her head, and was breathing heavily. She refused to scream, although her body was telling her to let it out. It was almost unbearable pain.

Kneeling down next to her, Sasha gripped her by the shoulders and started to shake her. "Elsa, snap out of it. Come on."

Just like that, the pain stopped. The ringing ceased, her insides returned to normal, and her head was clear. As far as she knew, there was no explanation for what had happened. It wasn't something she had never experienced before, and she wasn't too keen on ever experiencing it again. When she finally looked up at him, it was obvious that Sasha was worried.

After a minute of regathering herself, she got to her feet and brushed herself off. "I-I'm sorry about that. I don't know what happened."

Sasha narrowed his eyes and looked her over, but only nodded and motioned for her to follow. As they entered the church proper, Elsa could see the rows of pews lined up on either side of the walkway. Up front was a podium and a man on a large cross at the back of the room, with what looked like a piano off to one side. There were stands off on the other side, but what they were used for she had no idea.

At the podium stood two women, one clearly a nun and the other carried a rifle similar to Sasha's. Once they noticed the newcomers, the lady with the rifle laid a reassuring hand on the nun's arm and turned to leave. As she walked past, she glanced at them, and her eyes lingered on Elsa a bit longer than she would have liked. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she turned to watch the woman leave through the doors.

"She is with the resistance," Sasha whispered. "I recommend staying away from them. They will only get you killed."

As they approached the woman at the podium, she gave them a big smile and welcomed them. "Sasha, it has been awhile since I saw you last. How have you been, dear?"

With a shrug, Sasha played it casual and acted as if everything were normal. "Cannot complain. Doing as well as I can in this city."

"Yes, well, we are all doing our best to make it through this. But I see you have brought a friend. Who is this lovely girl?" she asked.

"Her name is Elsa, and she is hiding from the Russians. They want her for some reason, and I am trying to keep her safe."

"That sounds awful. But, you came to the right place if you are looking for shelter. We have managed to get donations of rations from both the Russian soldiers and people who have escaped the compounds, as well as the resistance. I don't know how they do it, but we are ever so thankful for it."

"I brought her here because she needs some new clothes. The jumpsuit she is in is a dead giveaway to the Russians, and we are trying to avoid attention."Sasha informed her.

Mother Margaret looked Elsa over before replying. "Yes, I think we should have plenty in her size. We should have everything you need, be it undergarments or jeans, hoodies, shoes... Whatever you can think of. Again, these have all been donated by the soldiers and the resistance. A lot of it is brand new, some is used. But why don't you rest for a bit before going through all that. You must be hungry. I'll bring you some food."

"Thank you," Elsa replied as she looked around the room. It was big, much bigger than it looked like from the outside. But for whatever reason, this place felt safe. She just hoped that it was safe enough to hide her from her pursuers. She was bound and determined to never return to the facility. She wasn't about to give up her freedom.


	7. Chapter 6 - A Lesson in Self-Loathing

**Chapter 6**

 _A Lesson in Self-Loathing_

There were far more donations than Elsa had first imagined. In her eyes, it was almost a mountain of clothes to sort through, and she had to wonder how the nuns came across so much. They had clothes for toddlers all the way up to the elderly, though she doubted that there was much need for either with the city in the condition it was in. In fact, she hadn't really seen anybody wandering around since her encounter with Randall. But, according to Sasha, there were lots of people living outside the compounds. Most were refugees from the neighboring cities or escapees trying to hide from the Russians. Where these people were, she had no idea.

After some digging, Elsa finally found some clothes that she liked and wouldn't be a burden while they traveled around. A pair of black leather boots, low rise loose-fitting jeans, a white tank top, and a light blue zip-up hoodie. It was comfortable and still afforded her the ability to move when necessary. She couldn't remember the last time she wore anything other than that jumpsuit, and she was glad to be rid of the thing. Now she felt like an individual, a real person. It may have been a small thing to most people, but to her it was another taste of freedom.

She still couldn't explain what happened earlier. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before, and the sudden onset of all those symptoms at once scared her. But more than that, it was how harsh it all was. It wasn't a slow buildup, it was excruciating right from the start. No, it didn't make any kind of sense. The strangest part was that it happened right as she entered the church. Before they walked inside, she felt an awesome presence, something that was powerful. But, once inside, she was overcome by pain.

Elsa considered asking Mother Margaret or one of the other nuns about it. Perhaps they would know what it was she had experienced. But the more she thought about it, the more she decided it was a bad idea. She didn't want to explain why she didn't know anything about the church or God or anything. She didn't even know if that had anything to do with it. There was the chance that it was just her powers acting up, but it didn't have the usual sensations that came with it. It was just sudden and terrible.

The ringing in her ears was the strangest part. She could have sworn that there was a voice speaking to her behind the noise, and it wasn't Sasha. That much she knew. It wasn't speaking in a language she could understand, and it was hard enough to hear as it was. It was also difficult to tell if it was male or female. To her, it sounded like it was both at the same time. It sounded urgent, but what it was saying was lost to her.

Once she was finished changing, she took a long look in the tall mirror that was provided to her. Looking herself over, she could see that she desperately needed a shower. Her snowy blonde hair was frazzled and dirty with sweat, there was dirt all over her face and arms, and she could tell she looked exhausted. The scars she had obtained over the years at the facility stood out on her pale skin, and she lifted her shirt to see that more were present. It made her feel ugly, and she hated it. There was nothing she could do about it though. Escaping Langdon's was more than enough of a middle finger to Doctor Harvey and his staff of sadistic psychopaths. Still, it didn't help her feel much better about herself.

When she decided she was done being disgusted with herself, she returned to the grand hall where she had met Mother Margaret. The woman seemed genuinely nice, and acted as if she truly cared about Elsa and her predicament. She trusted the woman, and the other nuns seemed just as kind. This was her first visit ever to a church, and it was leaving a good impression on her.

As she entered, she noticed Sasha and Mother Margaret off in the corner talking. She couldn't hear them, and she knew it was likely none of her business what they were discussing. Instead, she chose to examine the paintings and figurines that surrounded the man on the cross. The paintings were interesting, though they mostly depicted a woman holding a baby. She had no idea who it was supposed to be, but she guessed they were important.

Finally her gaze rested on the man on the cross. For whatever reason, the whole thing seemed morbid and out of place. The man was nailed to the cross, had a halo of what appeared to be thorns on his head, had wounds in his side, and he looked like he was in serious pain. Why this would be in a place of worship she had no idea.

"Amazing, isn't it?" said a voice from behind her.

It startled Elsa, and she spun around to see it was Mother Margaret, hands folded in front of her. Elsa looked as if she had just been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar, just like she had as a kid.

"Oh...I, uh, I didn't touch anything. I promise." Elsa assured the nun.

The older woman smiled and restrained a chuckle. "I'm not worried about that, child. I just thought you looked drawn in, like you were overcome with awe. I'm not surprised."

Elsa turned her attention back to the man on the cross. "I, uh, have no idea who that is."

Mother Margaret blinked several times, trying to hide the shock on her face. "You don't know who Jesus Christ is? Our Lord and Savior?"

"Um... No?" Elsa admitted shyly.

"Sweetheart, where are you from that you don't know who that is?" Mother Margaret asked confounded.

She looked at the woman for a brief moment before looking down at the ground. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Why do you say that?"

With a sigh, Elsa decided to tell the woman what she had told Sasha, explaining why she didn't know much about anything. As she told Mother Margaret, the woman became more and more visibly concerned. When Elsa had finished, the nun looked quite shocked and angry.

"That is awful that they would do such a thing. Turning their child into a prisoner is just horrific," Mother Margaret spat.

"That's why I don't know much. I wasn't taught anything besides reading, writing, and math. We never received news about current events, and there were no history lessons of any kind. I'm completely ignorant of pretty much everything," Elsa confided.

Mother Margaret smiled sadly at Elsa, and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "All that means is you simply haven't been taught. It doesn't make you any less of a person. There is much to know and learn, and only a limited amount of time on this earth to learn it in. But all you need to do is just ask, and I would be more than happy to help you. I can assure you, though, that God is watching over you and will guide you on your way."

Elsa gave another quick glance to the man on the cross before fully turning towards the nun. "I don't even know what God is."

"God is... Everything. He is all-powerful, all-knowing. He loves each and every one of his children. That includes you," the woman explained.

She didn't know if she understood, but Elsa nodded anyway. It all sounded too good to be true, but maybe the woman was right. Maybe this God did actually care. But if that were the case, he never should have left her imprisoned for so long. This whole train of thought left her feeling conflicted and confused.

Soon it was lunchtime, and the nuns brought them food from their kitchen. It was nothing special, but it was different from the protein bars and slop from the facility's kitchen. Elsa ended up with a very delicious bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup, which was the most wonderful thing she had ever eaten in her opinion. It filled her up, and she suddenly found that she had more energy than before. She hadn't realized that she had been eating so little.

After she was finished with her soup, Sasha approached and sat beside her on one of the pews. He looked at her for several seconds before saying a word. "Now you look like a person," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Gee, thanks," she replied. "What's our next move?"

He tossed his arm across the back of the bench and sighed. "We move by nightfall. My other contact does not like to operate in the daylight. It attracts unwanted attention. But, he will have what we are looking for."

"Is he far from here?" she asked curiously.

"No. Maybe less than a kilometer away. Should not take us more than ten or fifteen minutes to get there."

"Okay," Elsa said as she nodded. "What do we do in the meantime?"

"Get preached to by the nuns until you cannot stomach it anymore," he said with a frown.

"I take it you don't like them."

"No, it is not that. It is just that, after everything I have seen and done, I do not believe there is a God. Or if there is, he does not care anymore," he admitted sardonically.

Elsa fell silent. She didn't know what to say, and she felt she didn't know enough to open her mouth. So instead, she folded her hands in her lap and pretended to look around. Sasha stood and placed a hand on her shoulder before giving her a pat. Then he disappeared into one of the rooms off to the side of the hall.

00000

As evening approached and the pair gathered their things, they were quickly on their way. The nuns had packed supplies for them both, and Elsa now carried a pack of her own. It didn't hold any of the equipment that Sasha's did, but it was a military grade pack. She now had a bedroll of her own, plenty of dried and canned food, a canteen of clean water, and a few other items that she might need. She was grateful that they had helped as much as they did, and promised herself that she would return and visit them sometime.

They weaved in and out of the wreckage of some fallen buildings and pockmarked streets, and soon came to a four-lane road that seemed to run for miles in both directions. Further down the direction they were headed, some of the streetlights appeared to be working, which Elsa thought was odd. But then she remembered how the power still worked back at the docks, and it suddenly didn't seem so strange.

"Is the power going to be working where we're headed?" Elsa asked.

"Yes," Sasha replied. "My contact runs an operation that requires power for his computers and other nonsense. But we will not be there for long. Plus, he owes me."

As they drew closer to their destination, Elsa looked around at the houses and apartments that lined the road, all with power still on. "Do you think we could stop at one of these houses so I can take a shower? I noticed back at the church just how filthy I am."

"Sure, why not?" he said with a shrug. "It would not be a bad place to call it a night. The Russians do not really operate in this part of the city."

"Then that means you could get some rest too. And don't act like you don't need any. I can see the bags under your eyes, plus how red they are. You're sleeping tonight whether you like it or not," Elsa commanded.

"We will see," he replied with a chuckle.

At the next crossroad, there was a 7-Eleven with a couple of the lights on. Most of the windows were boarded up, and a strange, musky smell permeated the air. The neon signs were, for the most part, busted or turned off. Around on the other side were some gas pumps and several parked cars, none of which were in good shape. Where the front doors were stood two men, which Elsa assumed were guards of some sort. Neither looked very pleasant, and both stared at them as they approached.

"Russia, my main man! How the hell are ya?" the large black man on the right said as he held out his hand.

"How many times do I need to tell you, fat fuck, that I am not Russian." It wasn't in anger that he said it. It sounded like it was a joke between friends. Sasha took the man's hand and, for some reason, they bumped shoulders. "How would you like it if I called you a nigger?"

"Alright, my bad. You lookin' for J-Dawg?" the man asked as he puffed on what looked like a cigar, although it smelled far worse than tobacco.

Sasha flashed them a grin and a nod. "Yes. I need to get my friend here a weapon, and Jonas can help."

That was when they noticed Elsa, who had stayed a few feet behind just as a precaution. "Yo, who is the sexy thang hangin' wichu?"

"Do not get any ideas. She is off limits." Sasha warned. "Try anything with her and I will kill you."

The man looked at his companion then threw his hands up in front of him in effort to calm Sasha. "No need to get all upset. I respect you and the lovely lady. How long have you been with her?"

Sasha rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. " _Kretyn._ We are not together. I am helping her find her family."

The conversation was making Elsa feel very awkward. She was toying with the end of her braid, and was trying hard to not look either of the men in the eyes. What she really wanted to do was disappear.

The big man didn't take his eyes off of Elsa, which only made her feel worse. "Coo'. You might as well head on in. I'll radio J-Dawg that you're here."

They pulled the doors open and Sasha motioned for Elsa to follow. After they entered, he leaned down slightly to talk to her. "Stay close. I do not trust any of these men, especially Jonas. But he is our best chance of getting you a weapon. Do not leave my side for anything," he whispered as they headed to the back of the store.

There were a couple more guards standing outside the door heading into the office. As they approached, one of them knocked on the door without saying a word. Moments later, a voice called out from behind the door telling them to open it, then a scrawny black man with jewelry all over and some gold teeth waved them in.

"Ha ha! Sasha, my friend! Haven't seen you for a minute," the man said excitedly.

"Eh. I have not needed anything," he replied with a shrug.

The man looked over at Elsa and leaned forward in his chair. "And who is this lovely thang?"

"She is not a thing. She is a friend of mine, and I am helping her with something, so no funny business," Sasha warned again. "She needs a weapon. What do you have, Jonas?"

Jonas leaned back in his chair as he winked at Elsa. "You need a weapon. I need payment. It's that simple."

"Name your price."

"Well, I can think of a couple things I'll take as payment," Jonas replied, kissing at Elsa and winking.

Elsa drew herself closer to Sasha, almost hiding behind him. "I thought I told you no funny business. The girl is off limits."

Tilting his chair back, Jonas clapped his hands together then stretched them behind his head. "Of course. My apologies. I am a simple business man, and as a business man I try to make deals where possible. You are a long term client, and as such I am willing to cut you a deal. How about a week's supplies and ration tickets?"

"Sure, as long as we get everything we need," Sasha replied.

"I wouldn't try and cut you a bad deal. You get the gun, the ammo, everything. It comes as a complete package," Jonas reassured them.

Once the terms were agreed upon, Jonas motioned them to follow him to the storeroom. Inside were a few crates, as well as a few metal cabinets lining the walls. Walking up to the crates, he motioned for a couple of his goons to slide off the tops, revealing all manner of guns as if they were on display.

"Now then, my friend, what is the lovely lady looking for? As you can see, we have all sorts of weapons to suit your needs," Jonas said as waved his hand over the display in a grandiose fashion.

Sasha looked down at Elsa, thinking over what would be best for her. Compared to him she was tiny, and might not be able to handle much. "I think a 9mm would be perfect. Perhaps a Makarov."

A wide grin split across Jonas' face, and he reached into the wooden crate and pulled out a black pistol with a dark brown grip. "You're in luck, my friend. I just so happen to have some. You can thank our rebel friends for acquiring these weapon shipments and delivering them to us for a small payment." He handed the pistol over to Sasha, who carefully inspected it. "The Makarov PMM. The modernized version of the PM. Balanced grip, has ten-round and twelve-round magazines, and is lightweight enough that your lovely companion can handle it relatively easily. You'll find it is in mint condition, fresh from the factory. What do you think, my man?"

He turned the gun over in his hand, making sure everything was intact and as Jonas had claimed. Luckily, it checked out. "Alright, we have a deal," he said as he handed Elsa the gun, who took it nervously.

The trade went smoothly, and soon after Elsa had her own gun plus enough ammo to last a good long time. As they left, Elsa felt a weird sensation wash over her. She was scared of the gun, but she also felt relieved to have it. It was insurance that she might need to protect herself if she ever became separated from Sasha. It was bound to happen at some point, but she still hoped it'd never come to that. But more importantly, she might need it when she begins looking for her family. For Anna.

They walked a little down the road before finding a house to squat in for the night. Once again, it was as if the previous occupants had left in a hurry, because everything seemed to have been untouched. As they settled in for the night, Elsa decided it was time to rid herself of the dirt and grime that had taken over.

The water still worked, though it ran dirty for a few minutes after sitting for so long in the pipes. Once it was clean, she fidgeted with the dials until the temperature was to her liking. As she stripped down, she noticed that there were still all the self-care products necessary to feel fresh and clean again. It was actually far more than what she ever got back at the facility, so it was rather thrilling to her that she could use these and feel better about herself.

After a nice hot shower, and feeling the cleanest she had in a long time, she found a hairdryer and hairbrush in a drawer by the sink. Deciding to continue pampering herself, Elsa dried out her snowy blonde hair until it was smooth as silk and brushed out straight. Afterwards, she rebraided her hair and looked in the mirror. It was pleasant not seeing herself covered in filth. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eyes.

It was a makeup kit sitting on a shelf next to the mirror, and ever curious, Elsa pulled it down and looked inside to see what exactly it was. There were all manner of things inside, most of which she didn't know anything about. But she did remember back to her childhood when she and Anna sneaked into their mother's makeup drawer and played dress up. She had seen her mother put the stuff on countless times, so she sort of had an idea what to do. So, using those memories, she dug through the bag that contained a plethora of products.

Eventually, she found what she wanted and toyed with it. When she got the desired look and effect, and had stopped stabbing herself in the eyes, she looked in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised with what she saw. She looked pretty. From the extremely light flush on her freckled cheeks to the dark purple eyeshadow, she actually looked mature and beautiful. Or so she thought. She didn't really care what anyone else had to say, because she finally started to feel good about herself.

But there were still the scars. Scars from years of experimentation, and unfortunately, self-mutilation and self-harm. That was another dark secret she hadn't told Sasha. She had tried to take her own life on many occasions, just to stop the daily torture that Doctor Harvey put her through. She was always found and saved, although reprimanded and treated rather harshly for her actions. They never helped her with her depression either. In fact, they didn't seem to care. She was merely a test subject, not a person. Not something they gave a damn about, except for how much it would cost them to replace her. The others never seemed as important to Harvey as she did. From what she had heard from some of the staff, she was his favorite. He took more pleasure in testing on her than any of the others. Apparently, he felt that her powers were much stronger than the others, though she didn't really believe that. Not when there were kids that could blow things up with their minds. That seemed significantly more dangerous than hers, and should have been right up his alley.

Regardless, the scars were there and they were permanent. A constant reminder of a horrible time in her life. Even now, when she's running for her life and trying to find her family in the war-torn wasteland that used to be her city, she still felt more free and alive than she had for thirteen long, miserable years. She had another human to speak to that wasn't trying to do horrible things to her. A companion. Perhaps, at some point, she could come to call him a friend as well. She didn't think they were quite there yet, however. But, if he did like he promised and helped her find her sister and parents, then she could definitely call him a friend.

When she decided she was done thinking about things she couldn't change, she got dressed and headed back to the room she was going to sleep in. On the way, she passed by Sasha's room, and saw him lounging on the bed smoking a cigarette. She decided to lean against the doorway, fold her arms, and grin at him.

"You actually look relaxed. It's a nice change," she said teasingly.

Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Sasha barely turned his head to look at her. "You were in there a long time. Did it really feel that good?"

"Oh, I found some makeup in there, and decided I'd try it out. I think I did alright, considering I haven't ever done it before. I just have memories of my mother doing it, so that's what I went by," she explained.

He finally decided to turn his head and look at her for a minute, grinning as he did so. "Look at that. The pretty girl is now even prettier. You look more mature now. I like it."

"You do? You're not making fun of me?"

"Why the hell would I make fun of you? I have told you before that I think you are pretty and I meant it. I think you did a good job for someone who has never used makeup before," he reassured her.

Shrugging, Elsa rubbed her arms as she stared at the floor. "I don't know. You're the only person to have ever called me pretty before. Even with all my scars, you don't seem to be bothered by any of that. I just wanted to use the makeup to feel better about myself. Most of the time I feel ugly."

Sasha sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and pat the spot next to him, indicating to her to sit down. Without arguing, she did as he asked. "I am not the kind of person who lies to others. I will tell you the truth, no matter how painful it might be. You are a very beautiful young woman, and will someday make someone very happy. I can see that you are a good person, and even after years of being a prisoner, you are not some vicious animal or criminal. You are kind and loving. I can see this in you, even if you cannot see it in yourself. I have known you for over two days now, and in that short time I have figured you out pretty well. But in order to heal, you need to learn to love yourself. That is something I still struggle with as well."

They were quiet for several minutes, with Elsa sniffling and wiping her eyes. No one had ever told her those things before, and hearing it from someone she had only just met was something she never expected. He seemed to know her better than she did. He could look past her defects and see the person underneath. Maybe she really wasn't a monster after all. But he didn't know her dark secrets. He didn't know everything.

After she had calmed some, Elsa began toying with the end of her braid, something she always did when she was nervous. She didn't look at him, instead focusing on an imaginary spot on the floor. "There were a few times while I was at the facility that I tried to kill myself. That's how bad it was for me there. They did horrible things to me, to all of us, and we were powerless to stop them. When our parents came to visit us, we were forced to lie to them about our time there, telling them that we were doing well and enjoyed it. We lied to protect ourselves as well as our families. The head doctor there, Doctor Harvey, threatened to harm us and our families if we ever told them the truth. But who would believe us? They thought we were there to get treatment for our problems, and instead we were held prisoners and tortured."

"Why were you there? Why would you have been sent there to suffer through that?" Sasha asked quietly.

"I don't know really," she responded slowly. "Like I said before, it was because I hurt my sister."

Sasha shook his head, not believing her. "No. You do not get locked up for accidentally hurting someone, especially so young. There is more to this story. What are you not telling me?"

Elsa felt conflicted once more. She desperately wanted to tell him, but she didn't know how. He wouldn't believe her anyway. Besides, her powers have remained dormant since she escaped. Not so much as a tingle or spark, so it wasn't like she could show him. There was little she could do to convince him. A girl with supernatural powers wasn't very likely to ever happen in the real world.

Yet she was living proof of the contrary. Plus, he did believe her when she told him about her imprisonment, so maybe there was a chance he would believe her on this. After all, he was level-headed and rather intelligent. Maybe he had heard of people like her before, such as when he was in the military. It wasn't like she would be lying, but the story itself would seem far-fetched as it was. The whole thing made it hard for her to decide what to do.

"I can't tell you," she said softly, deciding to refrain from telling him. "I'm sorry. I want to so badly, but I can't."

Once again they sat in silence for a couple minutes, neither looking at the other. It almost felt awkward, but she had become comfortable around him after spending so much time with him in the last couple days. She knew she could trust him, but she was scared of what his reaction would be if she did tell him. She could lose him as a possible friend, or he could refuse to help her any further. Those were risks she wasn't willing to take right now.

"You mentioned you have a sister. What's her name?" Elsa asked, changing the subject.

Sasha frowned at the question, but answered it anyway. "I had a sister. Her name was Oksana. She was about your age when she died. She was pretty, like you, and was one of the sweetest people you would ever meet."

Still playing with her braid, Elsa looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Sasha sighed heavily before continuing. "She was murdered by some thugs in an alley. These thugs, they worked for a man named Pavlo Marchuk. A loan shark and shady business man."

"What's a loan shark?" Elsa asked innocently.

"Someone you borrow money from, and regret it after. If you do not pay them back, they do terrible things to you and your family," he explained.

Elsa shook her head in confusion. "Why would you ever borrow money from one then?"

Leaning forward, Sasha rested his forearms on his knees and sighed. "Because I was young, stupid, and desperate. I was in a lot of debt to a lot of people, and tried to pay them back with borrowed money. It was a big mistake, and I regret it to this day. I got my sister killed."

Elsa felt more depressed than she did before. She had no idea the tragedy that he had suffered through, and she wished she could help him in some way. It was a long road, trying to recover from the past. She knew all to well about that. Now, she was determined to do what she could for him. He had done so much for her, and still had much left to do. Now, it was her turn to repay the favor.


	8. Chapter 7 - Thunder and Lightning

**Chapter 7**

 _Thunder and Lightning_

The next morning started off with a bang. Elsa was startled awake as she bolted upright in bed, her eyes wide and breath hitching. Then came another, this time closer to the house. It caused the windows to rattle and the floors to shake and shift. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she hopped out of bed and started getting dressed as quickly as she could. If the Russians had found them, then they needed to escape as fast as humanly possible. She wasn't about to be taken into custody and sent back to Doctor Harvey.

Moments later, Sasha burst into the room shouting at her to gather her things and follow him downstairs. Within a matter of seconds she was on her feet with her pack in tow, and they were running down the stairs and out the back door. To their surprise, the blasts were hitting only yards away from the houses, and they could hear people shouting and guns firing. They ran across the small yard as quickly as they could and jumped the fence as another blast hit the house, obliterating it and sending debris everywhere. The blast nearly knocked Elsa off of the fence and into the next yard.

Sasha ran to her and grabbed her arm as he pulled her across to the next fence, which led to the street beyond. Once they made it safely to the other side, they ran across the street and hid behind an abandoned dump truck. Sasha had his rifle in hand and was ready to fire at anyone that came near them. On the opposite side of the road, several men and women ran past them in the direction of the explosions.

"Fucking morons! They are walking straight to their deaths!" Sasha exclaimed with disgust.

"Is that the resistance?" Elsa asked, already positive she knew the answer.

Nodding, Sasha primed his rifle and got on one knee. "The fighting started a bit ago, and I had hoped that it would move in the other direction. I was wrong. We need to get the fuck out of here!"

Another shell exploded a few yards away, causing their ears to ring while sending chunks of concrete in every direction. They got pelted with a few large chunks, one hitting Elsa in the chest and knocking the wind out of her. As soon as she recovered, Sasha was already on his feet, and leaned around the back of the truck to see if it was clear. He then grabbed her by the hand and told her to run as fast as she could to an alley just down the street.

They barely made it in time as they were being fired upon by the Russians. Bullets chipped and ricocheted away at the wall as they ducked into the alley. Sasha leaned around the corner and took several shots at the soldiers down the street. He managed to hit one, but the others hid behind discarded vehicles and inside the craters left by the tanks. Taking a few more shots, Sasha leaned back into the alley where Elsa was covering her ears from the noise. He then grabbed her hand once more and dragged her down the alley to the next street.

More of the rebels poured down the street as they spearheaded towards the tanks. Another shell hit one of the buildings, bringing down a large portion of the wall and part of the upper floor with it, crushing several people in the process. Taking advantage of the chaos, they made their way through the swarm of resistance fighters to the end of the street. One of the fighters grabbed Sasha by the shoulder and told him to fight, but he struck the man in the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking the man unconscious and busting his nose. Without a second thought, they ran the rest of the way down the road to the end, where it turned off onto a multi-laned street.

They could still see the rebels running down the road, but chose to ignore them and kept going. They made it a couple of blocks before they met more Russian soldiers, but were fortunate enough to duck into an old electronics store without being seen. The floor was covered in busted glass and smashed TV sets, computer parts, and other electronic devices, and crunched beneath their feet. They ran to the ends of the aisles and hid themselves behind the mostly empty shelves. Both were breathing heavily and sweating, and Elsa's chest was still sore from when she got hit by the concrete.

They sat and listened for a bit, still catching their breath and waiting for the soldiers to pass by. Unfortunately, the Russians hadn't moved. Every now and then Sasha would peek his head around the corner to check for any movement, but never saw any.

"What do we do now?" Elsa asked quietly after her breathing had finally slowed down.

"We wait," Sasha answered. "The Russians are just meters away from us"

Elsa nodded in understanding, then remembered her gun. Quietly, she dug through her bag until she found it. Grabbing it and a clip of ammo, she looked them both over for a moment to try and figure out how to load the thing.

"Turn the magazine around," Sasha whispered.

As if a light turned on in her head, Elsa slid the cartridge into the bottom of the gun with a satisfying click. The weight didn't feel as awkward as she had expected, and she believed it was something she could handle. Even the grip was comfortable.

"The switch on the side is your safety. Up is on, down is off. Pull back on the slide to load a round into the chamber, and be careful with your hand. It can get pinched by the slide. Steady your aim with both hands, and take slow breaths. Aim for the chest," he instructed.

Once again, she nodded. She turned the safety off carefully and pulled back on the slide like she was told. She was nervous, mostly because she had never held a gun before. There was also the fact that she had never killed anyone before, and didn't know if she could do it. The thought had never crossed her mind before now, and she didn't know if she had the stomach for it. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she was going to be given much of a choice.

They could hear radio chatter just outside the store. Somehow the Russians hadn't seen them enter, which was a miracle. Once the communications died down, they could hear footsteps in the rubble outside. It was difficult to tell how many were moving, but Sasha guessed three or four men. Then he took a peek to confirm his suspicions, but noticed that they didn't leave the alley. They were out in the open, looking down the street towards where the rebels were. They were setting up a machine gun; he guessed probably a Kord 6P50.

The Russians were preoccupied, and Sasha saw this as the perfect opportunity. He told Elsa to crawl down the aisle and wait for his signal. He did the same, and he stopped once he had a clear shot of one of the soldiers. The man had his back to Sasha, which was convenient. He hoped Elsa was going to be strong enough to help, because he couldn't take on all four by himself. Even with his extensive training, he wasn't that good. Nobody was. Nevertheless, he readied himself, steadied his aim, and fired.

He hit the soldier in the back several times, watching the man slump to the ground as small clouds of blood exploded from each bullet wound. The other three were startled, and just as they went to ready their weapons Sasha fired again, this time at the spotter. He was amazed when he heard Elsa's gun fire several times, even if she missed the man with almost every shot. She did manage to hit him once in the leg, taking him down enough to where Sasha could finish the job.

The machine gunner was almost on his feet, but Elsa shot several more times and hit him enough to put him back down. Then it was quiet. Neither of them moved, waiting to hear if others would join. Luckily, no one came. They both slowly stood up and looked at each other. Sasha flashed Elsa a grin, but saw the poor girl was shaking quite a bit. Her eyes were bulging, and she was breathing rapidly. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

Sasha grabbed her wrist, forcing her to slowly lower the gun. "You did good. Much better than I expected. I am actually proud of you," he said.

"I-I k-killed someone. I just killed someone, Sasha! What am I supposed to do!?" Elsa asked hysterically.

"You get over it and move on. They would have either taken you prisoner again or killed you, or worse. It was either you or them. You did not have much choice," Sasha reassured her. "Now calm down and take deep breaths before you pass out."

She tried her best to do as she was told, and he took the gun out of her hands. He rubbed and pat her on the back a few times to reassure her everything was alright. She finally managed to calm down enough to take the gun back, though she refused to look at the dead soldiers only feet away. Elsa felt like she was going to be sick as her stomach twisted and flipped around inside her. Just looking at the bodies was horrifying to her, which was odd because she had seen dead bodies before and never reacted to them. But these she helped kill. That left a burning image in her mind that she couldn't forget.

It was incredibly quiet, and they could hear the muffled booms of the tank shells and rebel mortars off in the distance. The fighting seemed far away now, and they both prayed it would stay that way. Sasha once again motioned for Elsa to follow, and they crept back out into the alley. There were no signs of other soldiers, and the streets seemed clear. They decided to head west towards the inner part of the city, and back towards the compound they had passed a day prior. There were more houses there that they could hide in, and the Russians didn't seem too interested in that section of the city. They weren't going close to the outposts, as they were trying to keep their distance whenever possible.

As they walked, Sasha kept sneaking glances at Elsa, looking for signs of shock or any other issues. She seemed fine now, lost in thought and eager to get off the street. Somehow she hadn't noticed him looking at her, which he figured meant she was doing her best to keep herself together. She walked steadily and determined, her gun was still in her right hand, and her eyes seemed focused. There was no expression on her face at all. That's when he knew something was wrong. Elsa was always outwardly expressive around him, and now the fact that she looked the way she did worried him.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked her.

"Yeah, why?" she returned.

"You don't seem like your usual self."

"I'm fine," she reassured him.

"I do not believe you," Sasha retorted.

Elsa looked down at the ground for a moment and took a deep breath before letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel right now, Sasha. I feel terrified, disgusted, and numb all at the same time."

Nodding, Sasha hummed at her. "That is pretty normal for your first time. It will go away soon. Then it will become easier, and trust me, there will be more. You have seen what we have to deal with. Killing will be unavoidable."

They walked in silence for a time after that, listening for more fighting. The only sound they heard was that of the wind lightly blowing across the city, rustling the trees and cooling them a bit from the heat of the sun. It was still morning, but already the sun had begun beaming down its heat onto the city, causing them to sweat a bit more than they already had been. Elsa removed her hoodie and tied it around her waste, and Sasha unzipped the front of his army green coat. They walked nearly a mile before anyone spoke.

"So what do we do now?" Elsa finally asked.

Sasha didn't answer right away as he thought it over. He knew what had to be done, but he wasn't sure if she was ready. "Next, I think I should teach you how to fight and shoot that gun. Unless you want to try and sneak into the compounds completely unprepared."

Elsa quickly shook her head. "No. I need to know how to do this. I need to know how to defend myself and survive the way you do. That's what we should do next then. You need to teach me how to fight."

00000

"Stand with your feet spread apart, about equal to your shoulders. Now, bring your fists up in front of you, and watch my movements," Sasha instructed her.

They had found an abandoned parking lot near some dilapidated houses, and Sasha claimed that it'd be the perfect spot to train. It was quiet with a nice breeze blowing through, lessening the intensity of the mid-afternoon sun. There seemed to be some cloud coverage headed down from the north, and would likely reach them by nightfall. Elsa looked forward to it, praying that it might rain; she was rather sick of the muggy heat. It constantly made her sweat and feel overall gross and filthy. She also looked forward to not being sunburned, since she could feel her pale skin starting to tan, and it felt weird.

They had been at it for a several hours already, and Elsa was getting exhausted. But she refused to give up. He kept telling her that she was picking up on everything rather quickly, but also said that she had a long way to go before he considered her competent. The training was more intense than she had expected, and Sasha had decided to cover everything from basic punches and kicks to throws and disarming opponents. Elsa was in great shape from her years of physical conditioning back at Langdon's, but she never learned actual combat skills. She did at least know how to throw a punch and kick, having those exercises as part of her daily routine. Applying them to a real world situation was a different matter entirely, however.

According to Sasha, much of what he was teaching her he learned from his time in the military. Whenever she asked what he actually did there, he would change the subject or avoid answering altogether. There were things he wasn't ready to share with her either, although he felt she would be open to whatever he had to say. That much he was certain of. But he wasn't entirely prepared to face his demons, at least not yet. There were too many stories to tell, most of which did not place him in a good light. He knew that what he had done was horrible at best, although even he had boundaries.

Finally, after nearly thirty minutes of lessons on how to disarm someone, Sasha called for a break. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Elsa silently thanked him and took a seat on the front steps of one of the houses. It was painted yellow, although much of the paint had chipped and fallen off ages ago. The windows were boarded up, the front door hanging on by only one of its hinges, and the smell of rot and mold was strong. But none of it bothered them as they sat and drank some water while staring at nothing in particular. They enjoyed the breeze that was blowing across the parking lot, and the silence was peaceful. How long that would last was anybody's guess.

"You know," Sasha said, breaking the silence, "we still have to teach you how to shoot that gun. While you did good earlier for your first time, you need more practice to shoot properly and hit your target."

"I know. But how am I supposed to do that without an actual target?" Elsa asked.

"We will have to find some bottles and cans for you to practice on."

Elsa hummed to herself and nodded, watching as Sasha lined up a bunch of beer bottles and cans he had found laying around the houses. There were a few concrete barriers set in front of the driveway leading into the parking lot to prevent people from entering, but now they were useless for all but target practice.

"Alright, you want to stand with your left shoulder forward, because you will be using that hand to steady your aim. Place your feet about shoulder width apart. Try to use the sights to line up your shots. Breathe slowly because it will affect your aim. Keep both eyes open. Check your safety, and fire when ready," Sasha instructed her.

She did as she was told, and took her time lining up each of her shots. At first, she missed quite a bit. But she did eventually get the hang of aiming down the sights and managed to hit most of the targets. It took her a bit, but she was proud of herself afterwards.

"Good," Sasha said proudly. "Not bad at all. We will practice more later."

The compliment raised her spirits, and she became internally giddy and excited at his acceptance of her ability to hit the targets. He didn't insult her and get frustrated with her, but merely corrected her when she needed extra help. It was obvious at times that she had become frustrated with herself, but he always managed to calm her down.

It was strange, but she found that she was starting to seek his approval more and more. She didn't want to be seen as a burden, but as a companion that could pull her own weight. For some reason, she had come to thrive off of his compliments and approval, and she enjoyed the fact that he was so protective of her. It was like he was slowly becoming this father figure she wish she had had growing up. They had only known each other for about four days, but she felt they were already rather close. Still, the fact that it had only been four days reminded her that she might have been getting ahead of herself.

As they were packing their things to leave, Elsa thought back to the first time she had met Sasha. She was being dragged to an unknown destination by that creep Randall, and Sasha was immediately concerned for her without even knowing her name. Then when he made that surprise rescue, she was shocked. Not once did it cross her mind that he'd actually help her. Ever since then, he has been nothing but good to her, protecting her from all the trouble they have been in. She still felt ashamed of how she had treated him in the beginning, even if it was partially justified. He had done nothing to deserve it, but she hadn't exactly had the best of luck with the men in her life up to that point.

"Girl, are you ready to leave?" Sasha eventually asked, bringing Elsa out of her thoughts.

Nodding, Elsa shouldered her pack and they slowly started making their way back into the more urban part of town.

00000

The night sky was covered in a layer of even darker clouds, and the wind was blowing a bit more than it had been that afternoon. The branches in the trees outside of her bedroom window rustled in the breeze, and every so often one would bend down and tap on the glass of the window. It was the only sound Elsa could hear, as the house was quiet and Sasha was out patrolling the neighborhood. He did that a lot. Whenever they stopped for the night, he would make his rounds and make sure things were safe and sound. It was an interesting habit, and one Elsa was sure contributed to his capabilities as a survivalist.

Tossing and turning in her bed, Elsa couldn't find comfort laying down. She desperately wanted to be asleep, begged for it to come, but she was completely and utterly wide awake. It's not like she wasn't exhausted. She was. But there were a lot of thoughts rushing through her mind that were keeping the sandman at bay. The most prominent thoughts were that of her family.

She had no idea what to expect when they infiltrate the compound. _What if they're not there? What if they're dead? What am I going to do then?_ These played over and over in her head, taunting her and causing her to question the whole ordeal. There were very good odds that her family wasn't going to be found that easily, or so she thought. There was no guarantee that they were even in the city any longer. They might have been in the mass exodus of people prior to the initial phase of the invasion for all she knew. There were so many possibilities that she was terrified of the truth.

Then there was Sasha. She didn't think of him as anything more than a friend, although he took care of her like a father would that of their child. He always made sure that she ate first, that she was the one to get the rest, that she followed his lead to keep her safe, and now he had to make sure that she knew how to survive should anything happen to him. During their travel across the war torn and collapsing city, he had tried to teach her all the tricks of the trade that he could. His knowledge was vast, and his skills great. If only she could learn more about his past. Get to know him on a higher level.

But that would hypocritical of her. She wanted him to open up to her, to tell her everything, and yet she was unable to do the same. It's not that she didn't want to. Elsa wished that she could sit down and tell him everything. The only issue there is that most of her story would be unbelievable at best. There was no way he'd believe all the stories of the experiments and surgeries she endured at Langdon's. Never mind the fact that she had these supernatural powers that she couldn't explain. Powers that she couldn't control no less. No, he was too good to her to listen to her made up fables of ice magic and science-fiction.

That was another terrifying thought that flashed through her mind on occasion. She hadn't seen a bit of her powers since she escaped. Not a hint of ice or the wisp of a chilled breath. No drastic changes in the temperature. Not even the frost on a window. Nothing. It was as if her powers no longer existed. It was confusing for her. If her powers would only work when she wanted them to, she could prove she wasn't insane or lying when she came clean to Sasha. In fact, she might even rest easy just knowing that they were still there. She had never wished for her powers to bubble up to the surface more than she did right then.

Fed up with trying to sleep, Elsa threw off the covers and went to the window. It opened up above the lower half of the roof of the two-story home, and she climbed out into the night air. Taking a seat on the shingled roof, she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, staring up at the clouds overhead. It had cooled off considerably, though the mugginess was still rather thick. Interestingly enough, Elsa thought she could smell the storm coming. She couldn't explain how she knew, but it was a gut feeling. Something inside her told her that rain was on the way. Rain was something she hadn't experienced since she was little. She looked forward to it.

As if answering her wishes, the loud rumbling of thunder rolled across the sky, followed by the pinkish-white streak of lightning that followed. It illuminated the night sky, bringing light to the rippling clouds above. Elsa could feel the hairs on her arms stand up straight, and for some reason she felt a tingling sensation as she watched but paid it no mind. It was mesmerizing as the thunder and lightning came more often. She had never seen this before, at least not that she could remember. To her, it was beautiful. There was something amazing and powerful behind it, yet she couldn't really explain what. All she knew was that she couldn't take her eyes off the spectacle.

"I see you are not yet asleep," Sasha said from behind her, startling her out of her trance.

"No, I couldn't sleep," she said the moment she recovered. "But this is amazing."

Sasha was amused quite a bit by her naivete. "I keep forgetting you were locked away for so long. How are you adjusting to life on the outside?"

With a shrug, Elsa's gaze returned to the storm above. "This isn't what I expected when I got out. I was hoping things would be a bit more intact than this."

There was silence for several moments as they watched the sky together. Sasha was smoking a cigarette as usual, the smell of the smoke assaulting Elsa's nose. She didn't care for the things, and promised herself that that was a habit she was never going to get into. There were memories of her father smoking when he got home from work, but he always went outside to do it. Her mother didn't like it, but never said much about it. She just kept the girls away from it as much as she could.

"Do you mind explaining to me what that is?" Sasha asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" she absentmindedly replied, still watching the light show above.

"That."

Elsa looked back over her shoulder at Sasha to see that he was looking down. Following his gaze, she looked where she was sitting and was suddenly frozen in fear. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

There was a perfect circle of ice and frost forming around her.


	9. Chapter 8 - District Four

**Chapter 8**

 _District Four_

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. There it was in front of her, encircling her, and she hadn't the faintest idea that it happened. It was as if it had seeped out of her, spreading like water spilled on a dinner table. There was no hiding it any longer. It had been biding its time, waiting for the most inopportune moment to resurface. Ironically, this was exactly what Elsa had wanted.

The silence hung in the air thick, nobody moving a muscle. Sasha was watching her, waiting for a response of some sort. Elsa simply sat there on the roof, frozen in horror. Neither knew what to say or how to deal with the situation laid before them. It was a nightmare come true for her. The monster had finally reared its ugly head again, and this time she was caught completely unprepared. She knew she had to say something and soon. But what, she had no idea. This was the part she had never been able to plan out.

Finally, it was Sasha who broke the silence. "I am waiting for an answer. What the fuck is that?"

"It's um... It's uh..." was all Elsa was able to manage.

"It is what?" Sasha asked, getting slightly irritated by Elsa's silence.

Looking from the roof to him and back, Elsa's stomach began to turn sour. "It looks like... Ice."

"Yes, good. Now then, what the hell is it doing there?"

"Yeah, well, um... I might have had something to do with it," she reluctantly admitted.

Fed up with her stalling, Sasha flicked his cigarette over the edge of the roof and slammed his fist down on the windowsill. "Damn it, girl! You had better start talking or I will leave you here!"

"No, don't! Please!" Elsa begged.

"Then talk."

Taking several deep breaths, Elsa calmed herself and climbed back through the window. She then walked to the bed and gently sat down on the edge. Her hands fidgeted as they laid in her lap, and she bit her bottom lip as she thought of what to say. The knots in her stomach made it much more difficult to think.

"You know how I told you that the place I went to was a center for 'special children'?" she asked.

Folding his arms, Sasha gave her a very annoyed look as he nodded. "Yes. The research and rehabilitation center."

"Yeah. Well, the children there were actually special. We all have these... Abilities. Each kid had unique powers of their own. Mine happens to be ice," Elsa admitted apprehensively.

"I see. These powers... You can make ice whenever you want?"

Elsa shrugged. "In theory. But I never learned how to control it. Doctor Harvey tried all sorts of vile experiments and surgeries on me to get me to gain control. I was one of the only kids there that never got it. According to the other people that worked there, I was his favorite. His pet project. He even told me once that my powers were stronger than any of the other kids', but I don't know how true that is."

"And you did not think to mention this to me before!?" Sasha shouted angrily.

"I didn't know how! I mean, what were the odds that you'd believe me? It's not like this stuff is normal. This is what makes me a monster," she said in a defeated tone.

Again there was silence. Elsa sat on the bed, staring down at her feet. She had no idea what else to say. Everything was out in the open now. If he still wished to abandon her, then there was no way she could stop him. This was the exact scenario she had feared would come to pass.

"So, this is what you meant when you said you hurt your sister," Sasha said after several minutes.

"... Yeah."

The thunder outside had gotten louder, and with it the first drops of rain came crashing down on the earth below. It was only a matter of seconds before the rain picked up, and it went from a light drizzle to a steady downpour. The wind had picked up speed as well, and the tapping of the branches became more intense. It would have been almost relaxing in a way, if it weren't for the tension between the two occupants of the house.

"So, you have these powers that you cannot control. You accidentally hurt your little sister with them, and got sent to this research center where they imprisoned you, and then experimented on you. What were the experiments for?" Sasha finally asked, a bit less angrily than before.

"I don't know honestly. Most of the time they seemed utterly pointless or too far-fetched. I did hear Doctor Harvey mention something about 'true biological weapons', but I have no idea what that meant," Elsa admitted.

Sasha crossed the room to the bed and sat down next to her, leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees. "I think I know."

"You do?" Elsa asked, surprised.

"Back home, I was in a special operations division of the Spetznaz, the Black Widows. We dealt with all manner of missions that had to remain top secret. Counter-terrorism, infiltration behind enemy lines, hostage rescues... You name it, we did it. We worked with the U.S. on quite a few operations. It is where I learned all my training, which I wish to pass down to you," he told her.

"While my unit was on a mission in Belarus hunting down some terrorists, I overheard a conversation between our captain and one of the American officers that had accompanied us. They said that the 'bio-elemental weapons project' was underway, and that no one else was to know about it. At the time I paid no mind to it, as I figured it was another weapon testing. However, I think maybe they were testing on people like you. How these two knew about something so top secret is beyond me," he admitted.

"The Russians took over a few years ago. A lot of the staff was replaced by them. They left Doctor Harvey in charge though," Elsa said.

Sighing, Sasha stood back up and stretched his arms. "Be glad it was not one of the Russian scientists. You likely would not be alive now."

Another bout of silence. Elsa was tugging on her snowy braid, and Sasha paced the room while fishing out another cigarette. It wasn't as tense as it was before, but it was still an uncomfortable silence. Elsa didn't care for it one bit.

"So... What does this mean for us?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

Sasha simply shrugged as he lit his cigarette. "I do not know. I still wish you would have told me. I would not have been so angry then."

"I wanted to tell you! But I had no idea how. Besides, like I said, what were the odds that you'd believe me?" Elsa asked.

"Better than you might think. I just do not care for surprises."

"Are you still going to leave me here?" She feared his response.

"... No. I would not do that to my friend," he reassured her. " I just hope that next time you will tell me."

"Wait, you consider me your friend?"

"Sure, why not?"

"We've only known each other for a little over four days," Elsa reminded him.

Sasha had that amused grin on his face again. "And in those four days, we have been through hell together. Anyone that can survive with me that long has earned my trust and friendship. You have done very well for a girl that has never been through war before. You know nothing about survival and yet you have picked up on everything I have taught you. So yes, you are my friend."

 _I have a friend._ Elsa wasn't sure what to say. She'd never had a friend before, except for Anna. To think of Sasha as a friend was a comforting thought. To think that only four days ago they were complete strangers. It only proved that war can change a person, or bring people together in odd ways. Now she had a friend, and she truly believed he meant it. He hadn't done anything in those four days to prove he wasn't worthy.

This made Elsa smile slightly. She really felt much better knowing he considered her his friend. "Well, now that we're friends, do you mind telling me about your past a little?"

Sasha sighed again, leaned against the wall by the window, and gave her a half-hearted shrug. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"When were you in the military?" she asked immediately.

"It was 2004," Sasha reminisced. "I was conscripted at eighteen like all the other boys from our village were. It was a national law. We went through primary training, then were able to apply for different outfits in the military. I had high marks and got to choose pretty much anything I wanted, so I chose the special operations unit. After completing some difficult tests, they let me join."

"We got dragged into the war in the Middle East that the U.S. president George W. Bush started, and were there for a few years. When we pulled out in 2008, I stayed in the military until 2012, then I chose to leave. In that time I killed a lot of people. Mostly terrorists and separatists. We helped stop riots a couple of times as well. It was actually not a bad life for me. I had nothing else going for me back home, so when we returned I felt torn between staying in the military or going home. I chose to go home and see my family." He took a long drag on his cigarette.

"What did you do after that?"

"Eh, not a lot. I worked at a steel mill for a couple of years, but I had a hard time adjusting to life. I started gambling and drinking more heavily than I did in the military, and started to gain a lot of debts. That is when I went to that loan shark and borrowed 1,500,000 hryven'. I tried to pay off my debts, but I did not have the money to repay my loan. That is when they killed Oksana," he said sadly.

"I have done a lot of terrible things in my life. Killing for money, gambling, smuggling... You get the idea. I am not proud of any of it. I was a desperate man looking to fill my life with meaning. When I came to America, I thought I had left that old life behind. But then all of this happens," he says with a wave of his hands. "I have tried to make amends for my crimes. Some sort of penance. Helping you has been the best thing I have done in a very long time."

Elsa was quiet for several minutes after that. All that could be heard was the rain and thunder outside. Finally, she chose to ask one final question. "Have you ever been in love?"

The question made Sasha chuckle and shake his head in humor. "Yes, once. A long time ago. But it was silly teenager love. It was not the real thing. Why? Have you?"

She vehemently shook her head. "Of course not. I don't think a prison is the best place to find romance."

"Very true. Do you think you ever will?" he asked teasingly.

"I doubt it. I don't even really know what love is. I've never felt it before. Maybe someday I'll find someone I like, but that isn't happening anytime soon."

Suddenly, there was a loud booming sound from outside. At first they thought it was more thunder, but then they saw the fire and black smoke off in the distance. The flames rose fairly high into the air, and the smoke was extremely thick. Then another explosion, not far from the first. Then another, and another. Moments later, the wailing sound of a siren played through the air, and was loud and shrill even at this distance. They both stared out of the window in awe.

"I believe those are some of the outposts by the compounds," Sasha stated. "Must be the rebels."

"Should we get ready to leave?" Elsa asked in a panic.

Sasha shook his head and lazily puffed on his cigarette. "No need. It is far enough away that we should not have any worries. I have seen this before though. They are trying to get into the compounds to free the people inside. It almost never works though."

"What if they succeed? Maybe we should join them so we can slip in," Elsa suggested.

"They are not likely to succeed. It would be a waste of time."

"But it might be the only chance we have! I think we should give it a try."

"And I am saying that it is foolish to think that it will work."

"Please, Sasha! What if my family is in there? We may not have another chance!"

Nothing was said for a bit as he considered her plea. After a couple minutes, Sasha came to a decision. "You might be right. Now is our best bet. Get dressed and grab your things. We will be leaving in five minutes."

00000

The flickering light of the burning remains of the outposts lit up the streets and the many fighters storming the outside walls of the compound. The noise from the gunfire and explosions echoed through the neighborhood, as did the rumbling of tanks. The streets were crowded, there being a surprising number of rebel fighters surrounding the outer wall of the compound. Russian soldiers had begun flanking them from both sides, making progress difficult. It was dangerous, perhaps too dangerous, for them to pass through.

This didn't stop Sasha and Elsa from making their way through the chaos, running from cover to cover as they were shot at. Occasionally they would feel the ground quake beneath them as a tank shell exploded nearby. Whenever this would happen they would duck into an alley briefly to wait for another shot, then run by shortly after. Nobody seemed to notice they were even there, which meant the Russians didn't take interest in them.

Elsa was scared out of her mind, and didn't think she could make it through without Sasha's help. He seemed almost calm, except she could see a hint of urgency on his otherwise stoic face. He was leading the way, and all she could do was follow and hope that he didn't lead them to their deaths. There was plenty of that to be had as it was.

Surprisingly, they made it to the outer wall with a lot less trouble than Sasha had anticipated. Neither thought they would actually make it. Once they managed to get close enough, he noticed that there was a large hole blown through the wall, and rebels were slowly pouring through. Motioning to Elsa to follow, they ran through the crowd making their way to the makeshift entrance, and threw themselves against the wall. He took a quick peek, waiting for an opening, then dragged her through into the compound.

As soon as they were inside, they noticed that the rebels were, for the most part, heading to the north side of the district. This meant that they were going to break off and head in the opposite direction. Most of the Russians were concentrated to the north and west, leaving the south mostly open. They were shot at as they ran for a warehouse on the corner of a rundown street. Ducking inside, they hid behind a pile of garbage and debris and waited, just in case some soldiers chose to follow them. When none came, they relaxed a little.

That was when Elsa chose to take a look around and noticed all the tents and makeshift shelters. There were tiny campfires all over, and people wandering around in torn and tattered clothes. The children weren't playing, someone's baby was crying, and everyone looked slightly emaciated. Only a few of the people bothered looking their way, then went about their own business. It looked like a tiny town had sprung up inside the warehouse.

Sasha noticed that she was looking around and was slightly shocked. "This is what the people inside the districts are reduced to. Each day is a struggle to survive. Rations are only handed out once a week, and they are limited to those that have ration cards. Everyone is supposed to be issued cards every week, but the Russians do not care. So, people starve. On the north side of the city they have created some farmland and have entire families dedicated to each farm, growing wheat and other necessities for the Russians. Like I said, the food is supposed to be redistributed to the people, but that does not happen often."

Elsa slowly shook her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. Unfortunately, the proof was right in front of her. "This is horrible. No one should have to live like this. Maybe we should do something."

"Do not worry about that. The rebels are already working on that. Why do you think they attacked to begin with?"

"But we can't just leave them like this!" Elsa exclaimed angrily.

"We have no choice. There is nothing the two of us can do to help these people," he replied. "We do not have the supplies or the means to help them. We must let the rebels do their job."

This didn't sit well with Elsa at all. Seeing these people living in such conditions was horrific and depressing, if not angering. She wished there was some way she could help them like Sasha had helped her, but she saw no way of doing so. That is what frustrated her the most. Being incapable of helping those that need it. Watching the children suffer was the worst part.

"We should start asking around for my family," she finally said. "Maybe someone will know."

Before Sasha could stop her, Elsa walked off into the crowd of people and started asking around for her family. As he followed her, he heard everyone she spoke to tell her that they didn't know them. This didn't seem to discourage the girl. In fact, it seemed to just drive her on. She was clearly determined, and refused to slow down even when he asked her to. Finally, he managed to catch up to her as she was speaking to a woman that looked to be in her thirties. They were actually holding a conversation.

"You actually know my father!?" Elsa asked excitedly.

"Jacob Forester? Of course. We worked in the same office. He liked to bring in donuts on Fridays," the woman said.

Elsa had a glint of hope in her eyes. "Do you have any idea where he might be?"

The woman didn't answer right away. She furrowed her brows for several moments, then had a look on her face like a light had just flickered on. "I might. There are a few abandoned apartment buildings on the northwest side of the district. Riverwind Apartments or something. Before they reshuffled and moved people from here, that's where he was staying with your mother and sister. I don't know if they're still there, but it's worth checking out."

"Where did they take the ones that were moved?" Sasha interrupted.

"Oh. Um, I believe to District Three. I'm not entirely sure where that is. I was moved here from District One myself, along with your family." The last part was directed to Elsa. "That was to the southwest, near the waterfront."

After thanking the woman and saying their goodbyes, Elsa had a brilliant smile on her face. Suddenly, she grabbed Sasha's hand and started dragging him back towards the road outside. Before they actually stepped foot onto the street, he brought them to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked.

"We cannot walk around like this."

"What do you mean?"

Sasha sighed, then pointed at her backpack. "Our gear is a dead giveaway. So is my rifle. We need to stash this stuff away somewhere."

"Maybe there's an empty building nearby that we can hide our stuff in," Elsa suggested.

With a nod, Sasha poked his head out through the busted down wall, and when he saw that it was clear, he waved her out. They wandered down the street a ways, looking over the buildings while also looking out for patrols. When they finally came to an abandoned office building, they slipped inside and took a look around while keeping an ear out for other people. Luckily, they didn't hear anyone.

The building itself was pretty empty. The floors were covered in debris, most of the furniture was long gone, and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere. There was a foul smell in the air, like that of mold and rot. They could hear a skittering sound from inside the walls, and Sasha assumed it was just some rats. Most of the offices were small, and at the back of the hallway was a door with a staircase that led upstairs. They poked around in every room until they reached the stairs.

Upstairs was a little different. It was mostly a wide open space with incomplete cubicles and the stench of urine. Everything was a mess. There was a pile of boxes in the corner, but they were wrinkled and falling apart, likely from being soaked through by the rain. That's when they noticed a large hole in the ceiling directly above. A couple rats then chose to run over Elsa's feet, startling her. She wasn't afraid of them though. After everything she had been through, very little scared her.

The ceiling was made of panels that could be easily removed when necessary. Sasha decided to climb up on a couple knocked over cubicles that had been piled on top of one another and push away one of the panels. After he poked his head in, he removed his rifle and pack and placed them inside. Then he took Elsa's and hid it with them. Once he was finished, he slid the panel back into place and climbed down.

"You have your gun with you, yes?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I have it hidden just like you showed me," she replied.

"Good. Now we find these apartments the lady mentioned," he said as he shoved his own gun into the waistband in the back of his pants.

Back on the street, they turned north and walked casually. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, so they tried to act as inconspicuous as possible. There wasn't much reason to worry though. The street was completely empty of people or patrols. It was fairly quiet save for the distant sound of gunfire. The rebels were still attacking, but it was impossible to tell if they were succeeding at whatever goal they had in mind or not.

"You know," Sasha began, "they did free one of the districts once. It was last year. District seven, up in the northeast. They fought hard and pushed the Russians back. It was one victory out of countless failures. But they never gave up. That is the one thing I will credit the rebels for. They are persistent."

"How do you know about that? You said you wanted nothing to do with the rebels," Elsa reminded him.

"I know because I was living there."

"Wait, you were a imprisoned in one of the districts? I had assumed you lived on the outskirts the entire time."

Sasha scoffed at her comment, but then gave her that amused grin of his. "When the Russians first invaded, they rounded up as many survivors as they could and corralled them into the different districts, or sent them up north to set up the plantations. Of course, a lot of people slipped through their fingers and found ways to survive outside. The rebels have helped a lot of people. So when they freed us, they set up camp inside the compound. I have no idea where their main base is though. I do not want to know either."

"Why do you hate the rebels so much after everything they've tried to do?" Elsa asked with furrowed brows.

"I do not hate them. I just do not want anything to do with them. They will only get you killed. What they do is good, yes, but it is also dangerous. As I said, I do not wish to be caught up in another war. I spent my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as back home. Never again," Sasha stated.

They kept walking, making minor conversation along the way. Elsa was visibly excited at the prospect of finding her family, and Sasha hoped that she did. To see something good finally happen to her would make him feel a lot better, and he said a little prayer to himself that her family would be waiting for her. Of course, there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him that they likely weren't there or even alive. He chose to ignore it though, hoping against hope that this would be Elsa's happy ending.

It didn't take them long to reach the apartments the woman had told them about. They looked horribly run down, but there were signs of life. A couple of people entered the building on the corner, indicating that others might actually still live there. They decided to follow and entered the building.

Inside was dark, and there was a draft coming in through the door and windows. There were some people occupying the office on the ground floor, and when Elsa poked her head in, she was told to leave. Then they decided to climb the stairs to the second floor and look around. Most of the doors to the apartments were busted or broken, offering no form of safety or privacy. This didn't stop them from knocking on every door and asking the occupants about her family. Most told them that they had no idea who they were talking about. Without any luck, they decided to try the third floor.

Upstairs was in the same sorry shape. There was garbage piled up in the corners, the banister to the stairs was broken, and that musky odor that she smelled back at Jonas' place filled the air. The doors were for the most part broken, except for one apartment at the end of the hall. As they made their rounds, each doorway proving to be a disappointment, a feeling of fear began to bubble inside Elsa's stomach. _What if they aren't here?_ Panic soon started to take over, and she turned to Sasha with tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

"Sasha, they're not here," she whimpered.

"We are not even done yet. We still have a few more rooms to check. You have come too far to give up now," Sasha assured her.

This didn't seem to calm her much, but after regathering herself she proceeded to check the next few apartments. Eventually they came to the one with the door seemingly still intact and she raised her hand to knock. But she found herself unable to. She was frozen in place, incapable of moving a muscle. She was even holding her breath.

"Sasha, I can't," she said. "I don't know if I can go through with it. I don't know if I can handle what's on the other side of this door."

Sasha placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, then suddenly knocked on the door for her. "There. Now you have to face it."

There was a look of horror on her face. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest, and she was pretty sure she was starting to sweat. She wasn't nearly as prepared for this as she had thought she was.

There was shuffling on the other side of the door, then an audible click of the lock resounded in the hall. Then the door slowly creaked open. On the other side was a thin woman with light caramel brown hair. She looked slightly gaunt, as if she hadn't eaten in some time. Overall she looked very tired, her pale blue eyes heavily lidded. They stared at each other for several seconds. Neither knew what to say. The woman looked leery of her visitors.

Then suddenly, Elsa cautiously spoke to the woman. "Mom?"


	10. Chapter 9 - Family Reunion

**Chapter 9**

 _Family Reunion_

The woman just stood there and stared in disbelief without saying a word. It was an awkward silence, something Elsa had become familiar with over the course of the last several days.

"I don't know who you are, but this isn't funny," she finally spoke.

"You have no idea who I am? How is that possible?" Elsa asked as she started to panic.

Sasha mumbled something to himself beneath his breath, then leaned in closer. "You do not recognize your own daughter?"

The woman's eyes started to mist over as she shook her head. "No. No, it's impossible."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because my daughter is dead!" the woman shouted.

There was more silence as the woman dropped to the floor, her hands covering her face. She didn't want to believe it. Refused to believe it. Yet there Elsa stood.

"Mom, it's really me," Elsa said soothingly as she knelt down to comfort her.

"How?" the woman asked between sobs.

"It's a long story, one that you probably won't believe," Elsa replied. "Why don't we go inside and talk?"

The woman nodded and allowed Elsa to help her to her feet. Her mother led them into what was supposed to be the living room, though it was barely furnished. It smelled of mold like the rest of the building, and was warm from the summer night air. The rain had let up a bit, though the thunder could still be heard. The walls muffled the sounds of the gunfire, which was good in Elsa's opinion.

"Please, make yourselves at home," her mother told them as she tried to calm herself. "I know we don't have much. Hardly anyone does these days."

Sasha chose to lean against the wall that led into the kitchenette, and Elsa threw her arms around her mother in a tight embrace. The older woman began crying again into Elsa's shoulder, but Elsa herself didn't feel like crying. The tears just wouldn't come. She was overcome with joy to have found her family, especially so easily, but she couldn't get as emotional as she had anticipated. There was still some resentment deep inside her heart.

Once they were finally done, Elsa's mother sat in one of the only chairs in the room. "I'm sorry. I never thought I'd ever see you again, sweetheart. After the war started, we didn't have much of a chance to come see you. But you have to believe me when I tell you it tore us apart. We never wanted to leave you behind."

Elsa wanted to scream at the woman, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She wanted to yell at her for abandoning her there, for keeping her locked up for thirteen long, miserable years. There was so much she wanted to say, had planned on saying, but couldn't. Instead, she chose to remain silent and not voice her feelings.

"I believe you. I just wish you hadn't put me in that horrible place to begin with," Elsa replied harshly. "You have no idea what they did to us there."

Her mother blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? You told us they took good care of you."

"Mom, they forced us to lie to you in order to protect us and our families," Elsa said in frustration. "They tortured us, experimented on us, put us through horrific surgeries." Without warning, she stood up, removed her coat, and showed off her arms. Then she lifted her shirt, displaying all her scars from over the years. "This is what they did to us. We didn't stay in the rooms inside the building. There was a whole underground complex with prison cells. We were taught how to read, how to write and speak, and how to do basic math. They kept us completely ignorant of the outside world. Then, a few years ago the Russians took over, but left Doctor Harvey in charge. Oh, by the way, he is a sadistic son of a bitch.

"I managed to escape about four and a half days ago. You can imagine my surprise when I reached the surface and saw all of this. I had no idea what the hell had happened. The world was not the way I remembered it. So I entered the city so I could search for you, but was chased down by some soldiers until I found a place to hide. Then some man that pretended to care about me rescued me, and without being given a choice, he dragged me into the city where he said he had friends that would help. These friends of his ended up being smugglers and human traffickers. He handed me over to them for payment. A couple hours later, Sasha," she said, pointing to her friend, "managed to rescue me. We've been traveling together ever since. He promised to help me find you. We wouldn't even be here right now if the rebels hadn't attacked one of the outposts outside the compound. We sneaked in while everyone was busy shooting at each other.

"Once we got inside, we found a warehouse where a bunch of people were living. We asked around and found a woman that used to work with dad. If it wasn't for her, we never would have found you. But the hell we have gone through just in the last four days to get here has been like nothing I had ever imagined. I've been shot at, betrayed, sold off, almost blown apart, and had to kill to get here."

Her mother's mouth hung open. She didn't speak for several seconds. When she finally did, her voice was quiet. "I... I have no idea what to say. Had we known any of that, we would have taken you home immediately."

"No, you wouldn't have. Because Doctor Harvey wouldn't let that happen. He was willing to do and say anything to keep his pet projects right where we were," Elsa informed her. "Besides, right now he has the Russians looking for me. He wants me returned. I don't think he cares if I'm alive or dead either."

"Well, at least for now you are safe. You're home now," her mother said.

"How is this safe? We're right in the middle of the Russians' controlled districts. If they find me, I'm fucked."

Her mother looked down at her lap and fidgeted with her hands. There wasn't much she could really say. Her daughter was home, but was being hunted. She posed a danger to everyone.

"What about your abilities?" she decided to ask.

"What, my ice powers? I still can't control them. I was never able to learn how. That's something Harvey loved torturing me over," Elsa admitted.

"It doesn't matter. Your father and sister would love to see you."

"Where are they anyway?" Elsa asked, looking around as if they would magically appear.

"Your sister is with her boyfriend. Your father... He isn't here right now. Won't be for a long time," her mother said slowly.

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her mother suspiciously. "What do you mean? Where is he?"

Her mother, hesitating, refused to look her in the eyes when she spoke. "...He was taken into custody a few days ago."

"What!? Why?" Elsa was shocked and angry.

"Because he was involved with the resistance. He was a contact or something. I don't know," she said sadly.

Turning around in her chair, she looked to Sasha for help. He shook his head and frowned. "If he has been taken prisoner, then he will likely be executed. The Russians do not like those they consider traitors. I know of only one prison camp, and it is closer to the center of the city. But he will be tortured first before they kill him. They might not even kill him. If they think he has any information they can use, they will beat it out of him in horrible ways."

"Is there any way to get in?" Elsa asked earnestly.

"What? You want to break into the camp and try to find your father? That will be suicide," he told her.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want to do. You know we can do it. Look at everything else we've accomplished!" she exclaimed.

Just then, the front door opened and they heard the shuffling of feet. As the door closed, they heard a voice call out. "Mom, I'm home! Kristoff walked me because of the rebels causing problems again, so you don't have to worry about-" It was a girl with red hair tied back in a ponytail. Her face was lightly freckled, like Elsa's, and she had turquoise eyes. "...Elsa?"

Elsa 's face brightened by the sight of her sister. "Anna! It is so wonderful to see you again."

Anna simply blinked with her mouth hanging open. After several moments, she shook her head to bring herself out of her stupor and shock. "Elsa, what the hell are you doing here? We thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, that's what mom said. Surprise!" Elsa said joyously.

"This isn't fair. You can't just come walking back into our lives without us being prepared for it. I mean, you're dead! This can't be happening!" Anna exclaimed in bewilderment.

Stifling a chuckle, Elsa walked to her sister and threw her arms around her, much like she did with her mother. "I'm glad to see you too."

Sasha found the whole ordeal amusing. These people truly believed Elsa was dead. For some reason, that made him inwardly laugh. But, at the same time, he was rather disgusted with her parents. They left her abandoned at the facility at the worst possible time, when they could've pulled her out of there and taken her with them. They honestly sounded cowardly to him. It was almost as if they didn't truly love her the way she deserved to be loved. He could see how emotionally scarred she was from it – though she would ever admit to it - but she definitely deserved far better than what she received. As far as he was concerned, her mother should have thrown herself at Elsa's feet and begged for forgiveness.

"Elsa, I missed you so much. But I had come to terms with the idea of you being dead. How did you get here? When did you get here?" Anna asked rather speedily.

"I got here thanks to the rebels, and we just got here a little bit ago," Elsa said with a toothy smile.

That was when Anna noticed they had a guest. Sasha simply nodded at her. "Who is this?"

"Oh, I should probably introduce him properly. Mom, Anna, this is Sasha. He helped me find you guys," she said as she introduced him. "Sasha, this is my mother Sarah and my sister Anna."

He didn't say anything. That was his way normally. Elsa somehow was the exception to the rule. He usually never talked unless it was important, but she managed to get him to talk a lot to her. He didn't know why either. She just had that effect on him.

"Your friend doesn't say much, does he?" Anna asked.

"Normally he talks a lot. He must be shy," Elsa teased. "But he's helped me a great deal. He's taught me how to survive on my own, how to shoot a gun, and started teaching me how fight with my bare hands. We're still working on that though. Anyway, the point is he's become a very good friend. You can trust him. I do."

A knock on the door interrupted the chatter, and everyone fell extremely quiet. Sarah approached the door, looked through the peephole, and then spun around. "It's a patrol! You two, hide!" she whispered hoarsely, indicating Elsa and Sasha.

Anna showed them to one of the bedrooms and closed the door. Sasha immediately grabbed his gun, catching Anna off guard, and stood by the door and listened. There the three of them waited as the muffled conversation took place. They waited several tense moments for any sign of trouble. Once the conversation had died down, they could hear the soft thud of the front door closing and the mechanical click of the locks. Shortly thereafter, Sarah entered the room and heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

"They said they were checking on a disturbance in the area, and warning us of harboring rebels," she said, still shaking from the conversation.

"Why would they bother coming here for that?" Elsa asked in confusion.

"Because the Russians like to spread fear and panic," Sasha answered. "In the old days, they used to brainwash the children to report their parents for anything that seemed suspicious or anti-communist. A lot of mothers and fathers went missing in those days. The Russians' tactics have not changed much over the years it seems."

"Wait," Anna interrupted, "you sound Russian. Where are you from exactly?"

"I am Ukranian. Many of us dislike the Russians," he said adamantly. "Especially after the bullshit they pulled in 2014. They tried to stick their hands into a divided Ukraine."

"I remember that," Sarah replied. "The media made it seem like they were terrorists."

Sasha scoffed at that. "Do not believe everything the media tells you. The whole situation was complicated, but there were no terrorists. The UCF came around after, thanks to Putin."

"What's the UCF?" Elsa asked.

"The United Commonwealth Front. A terrorist group that was founded and funded by Putin's administration to try and cause more unrest in Ukraine, all so Russia could swoop in and save us. It was Putin's plan to strengthen and reunite the Eastern Bloc, much like in the days of the Soviet Union," Sasha informed them. "Unfortunately, he lost control of them and they went rogue. But he had no problems with selling them nukes."

"That's what started all of this," Anna added. "I was too young to really know much of what was going on, but when the terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons, the world was terrified."

"Anyway, I want to welcome you home sweetie," Sarah said as she dragged Elsa into a hug. "Your friend is also more than welcome to stay with us as long as he needs. Only, we don't have any food. Haven't for over a week. We weren't lucky enough to get any ration tickets this time."

"Mom, it's okay. Sasha and I have plenty of supplies. We can go grab our stuff and bring it here," Elsa assured her as she managed to pull herself free.

"Come on then," Sasha told her as he headed for the front door. "We do not want to get caught by any patrols, so we need to move quickly."

00000

The fighting was still going on on the other side of the district, which hopefully meant that the patrols were too busy to deal with late night stragglers. The streets were mostly empty except for the occasional drunk vomiting on the sidewalk, or stray dog that was heavily emaciated digging through piles of garbage. It wasn't pleasant, but it was better than dealing with Russian soldiers bearing down on them. The last thing either of them wanted was to be found.

It didn't take them long to reach the office building where they had hidden their gear. The area was quiet, with the exception of the snoring bum in the alley. The rain was still pouring down, and the night sky was still utterly dark in spite of the burning outposts beyond the compound walls. The complete lack of light left the building in deep, oppressive shadows.

Sasha scanned the street for possible trouble, he returned his attention to Elsa when he found none. "Wait here and keep an eye out for patrols. I will grab our things and be back in a few minutes."

He didn't wait for a response, becoming enveloped by the darkness and disappearing as soon as he entered. Alone, Elsa propped herself against the brick wall of the building, folded her arms, and tried to look everywhere all at once. Slowly she slipped into thoughts of her sister and mother, trying to remember more of her childhood. She suddenly realized she never really had any friends when she was little, even at school. She had always been shy around other people, and it depressed her that, besides Anna, she was alone.

While she was lost deep in thought, Elsa didn't notice the bum was no longer asleep. It happened fast and without any warning. The man grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the far end of the alley. She was kicking and flailing as hard as she could, but he had a strong grip on her, and once he had dragged her far enough, he threw her to the ground and kicked her in the side of the head. Her vision blurred and her head throbbed. She couldn't think straight.

The man was grunting and groaning, telling her stop fighting and to lay still. When she tried to scream, he backhanded her across the face, causing her to whimper. Once he had her pinned to the ground, he started unbuttoning her pants and ripped them off. He began to chuckle and grunt some more, and he sounded utterly deranged to Elsa as she struggled against him.

She finally managed to get her feet up enough to kick him away, though her pants were around her ankles and made it difficult to move. It didn't deter him any, as he was back on top of her and had his own pants down enough to expose himself to her. The tears and rainwater were blurring her vision more than when he had kicked her, and all she could see was shadows moving around, toying with her.

Then she noticed her underwear was removed, and she did her best to flail and keep her legs closed, but he had her held tight to the ground. She could feel his breath on her face, telling her it'd be over with soon. Suddenly, he was no longer on top of her. Quickly she scrambled to sit up and wiped away the tears in time to see Sasha punch the man in the face several times before bashing his head against the brick wall. He was relentless, and didn't stop until the man laid still.

As soon as he saw her, Sasha ran to her, knelt down, and tried to comfort her. She cried into his jacket, heavy sobs wracking her body as she clung tight to him. He managed to pull himself free long enough to wrap her in his coat, then sat down and drew her to him, and rocked her back and forth while trying to sooth her. He kept telling her that she was alright and that the man wasn't going to hurt anyone ever again. But still she cried, and kept crying until the tears would no long come.

Once she had calmed down, he urged her to get dressed so they could get out of there. She quickly did as she was told, and once she was dressed she threw her arms around him and gave him what was possibly the tightest, strongest hug she had ever given in her life. Finally, he was able to urge her to grab her things so they could actually leave, then they were on their way.

Still sniffling, Elsa refused to look anywhere other than the ground. She was too ashamed to look Sasha in the eyes, but still had enough strength to speak to him. "T-thank you, Sasha. I don't k-know what I would h-have done without you."

"Do not worry about it. It has been taken care of. He will not ever do that again," he assured her.

"I hope he's dead," Elsa angrily admitted.

Sasha frowned a little, knowing that this was not Elsa's usual self. She was typically more upbeat once she was comfortable around him. She wasn't as shy as when they first met either. But this was not her. Of course, she was just attacked by a very sick individual, and she had every right to be angry and hurt. But it pained him to see her this way.

"You do not have to worry about that either," Sasha said grimly. "As I said, he will not be hurting anyone ever again."

"Please don't tell my mother or sister," Elsa suddenly pleaded. "They don't need to know."

"Okay. I will not say a word."

"Thank you."

"I do think we need to continue your training so this does not happen again," he said. "You could have overpowered him if you had focused. I know you could."

Elsa finally looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I tried. I really did. He was just stronger than me."

"Strength has nothing to do with it. It is all about technique. With proper training you could have easily freed yourself and gotten away. Tomorrow, we will begin training you more seriously," he stated.

They didn't say anything more as they walked back to the apartment. Elsa tried her best to not think about what had just happened. It was horrifying and disgusting, and turned her stomach in every direction at once. The worst part was the shame. For whatever reason, she felt ashamed and humiliated that it had happened to her. That Sasha had to see her so weak and vulnerable. So exposed. It was something she could never make go away. She didn't think she'd ever fully recover from it. Another scar to add to what she already had.

00000

That night, Elsa and Anna shared a room together while Sasha slept on the floor in the living room. They didn't fall asleep for a long time, choosing instead to stay up talking and catching up on what had happened in their lives. Elsa told her sister all about her time at Langdon's and what had happened. She told her about her escape and everything that led up to her ending up on their doorstep. It was a long story, and Anna hung on to every word of it.

"I am so sorry, Els. I wish I could have done something," Anna said, remorsefully.

"I don't blame you at all," Elsa reassured her. "I still hold some resentment towards mom and dad though. They never should have put me in that horrible place. Hell, they could have at least visited more often than they did. I only saw you guys a couple times a year. Who does that to their child?"

"Trust me, I gave them hell about it when I got older," Anna said as she propped herself up on her elbows. They were sharing a bed since that was all they had. "I pestered them constantly to take me to see you. Of course dad always said that it was important not to bother you while you were receiving treatment. I thought that was such bullshit."

"What exactly did they tell you happened?"

Anna shrugged nonchalantly. "Basically that you shoved me out of the tree and I hit my head. They said that it was supposedly an accident, but I honestly don't remember. We were so little that it didn't matter."

"You know that's not true, right?" Elsa asked. "About shoving you, I mean. I tried to grab you as you fell. But then my powers acted up and I shot you in the head on accident. It froze your head from the inside."

"Is that how I got this white stripe in my hair?"

"Possibly," Elsa chuckled. "I don't remember you ever having it before."

Without warning, Anna made a face like she just had the greatest idea and changed the topic. "Tomorrow I'm going to introduce you to Kristoff. He's a really great guy. We've known each other for a long time, and he finally had the nerve to ask me out last year. Which, yeah, I know, now is probably not the time to be starting relationships, but I mean-"

"Anna, it's fine. Really. I'd like to meet him," Elsa interrupted. "Just know that we can't stay here long. I have training to go through with Sasha, plus we have to get dad back. I don't now how we're going to do that though. But the longer we stay here, the more we put your lives in danger."

Sitting up, Anna folded her arms and looked a bit irritated at her sister. "So what? You come waltzing back into our lives just to walk back out again? That's not even remotely fair, Elsa."

"I'm not walking away. I'm talking about bringing you and mom with us."

"Where? Where are we going to go? It's nothing but a wasteland outside the walls, and we have no real way of getting there anyway. The Russians have the whole place locked down tight. It's been that way for three fucking years. Besides, I'm not leaving Kristoff behind," Anna told her.

"Then bring him with us. But I came all this way to get you guys out of underneath the Russians' thumb. Kristoff and his whole family are more than welcome to come with us. Just please, think about it," Elsa pleaded.

"And what do we do once we're out of here?" Anna asked. "There won't be anywhere to go. We have no electricity or running water here, plus food is scarce because of the Russians and their greed. Things will be no different out there."

It was Elsa's turn to sit up, but she wasn't annoyed or angry. Her eyes were pleading with her sister to listen. "There is a church that is to the southeast of here. It's not that far. The nuns there are very nice, and have food, shelter, and clean clothes. We can go there, get more supplies, and then figure out our next move. From what Sasha has told me, our best chance of getting out of this nightmare is heading east."

"Elsa, there is nothing to the east. The Russians pushed as far as the Midwest. The fallout from Canada and Mexico leaked into the rivers and caused a lot of problems. Everything is sort of cut off and irradiated. Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, about a third of Texas... They took that much land. The front line is so far away that we likely would never make it," Anna informed her.

"Look, let's at least discuss it tomorrow with mom and Sasha, alright? I am not leaving you guys behind. I am going to get you all out of here somehow. And who knows, maybe the rebels will have made some good progress by morning and push the Russians out," Elsa said with hope in her eyes.

Anna caved and nodded to her. It was obvious that Elsa wasn't going to give up, and Anna had to admit that it sounded nice. Getting out of the compound was something she had been praying for since they first got placed in one. Maybe her sister was on to something. If there was help on the outside, then it was possible that survival wasn't so far-fetched after all.

With a sigh, Anna flopped back down onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling. "If you really want us all to go with you, then we'll have to make sure we can all move without getting spotted. Luckily, it's just Kristoff and his brother Adam. His brother isn't likely to go with us though. He got pretty heavy into drugs. He gets them from one of the soldiers. Don't ask how."

"What do you mean?"

"As far as I know, he's into heroin and popping pills. I don't know if he's into anything else. Kristoff may not leave without him, but Adam isn't likely to go with us either. He'll lose his supply if he does, and he's not about to do that." It was clear that this frustrated Anna simply by the tone of her voice. Then she turned her head to the side and looked at her sister with a frown. "I forgot, you probably have no idea what I just said. About the drugs, I mean."

Elsa rolled her eyes at her sister. "Please, I'm well aware that drugs are not something you want to get into. After all the drugs I was on back at Langdon's, I can tell you firsthand that you don't want to get involved in that. Besides, I've heard of heroin before, because they said that some of the drugs they were experimenting on us were very similar. There was a period of time that I went through heavy withdrawals as they kept changing the drugs I was on. They'd put me on one thing for a couple weeks, then take me off immediately to put me on something else. I was always shaking and vomiting, among other things. It was horrible. Eventually they stopped with the drug trials because they proved to be ineffective."

Anna's jaw dropped as she listened to her sister and became rather furious that Elsa had to go through all of that. "Elsa, I am so sorry that you were stuck there for so long. You should have said something to mom and dad. They would have taken you home right away."

"Doctor Harvey wouldn't have let me leave. He'd find some way to convince mom and dad to keep me there. Besides, he threatened all of us that if we told our families that they'd be hurt and we'd be in serious trouble. What was I supposed to do?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know. But something should have been done. Do you know how painful it was to lose my sister for so long? I looked forward to every trip that mom and dad let me go on to see you. They didn't let us talk much though, which always pissed me off," the redhead said. "I so desperately wanted to talk to you about what happened, about what was going on there, and why you weren't allowed to leave. But every time I asked about it, mom and dad would tell me to stop asking questions. That you were where you needed to be. Whenever I asked if you were getting better, they said that eventually you would be. They were so sure that whatever the fuck those people were doing to you was going to work, and it blinded them and clouded their judgment. They never listened to me, and I hated them for it. But then the war started, and after Europe got attacked, we prepared ourselves just in case Russia or China tried to do anything. That's when they started evacuating the cities, but there were so many people that refused to leave that it became chaotic, and we couldn't visit you anymore.

"Then the bombs hit. First it started with a bunch of EMP blasts that took out the entire western seaboard. All of our power was down. The terrorists were somehow capable of smuggling in the materials to make these things, and built them without anyone knowing about it. It made our intelligence agencies look stupid as hell. After that, most of our defenses were down. All of the electronics were out and fried, so none of the military's hardware worked. That's when the first nuke hit. They targeted Canada and Mexico, then they hit parts of California. We were somehow spared.

"The fallout from the bombs leaked into the rivers from both sides, creating irradiated barriers all along the Midwest. Our radio towers still worked here surprisingly, so we were able to hear the news on any device that wasn't completely fucked from the electronic blasts. The Russians stormed Oregon and here a few days later. Our troops were pushed back east, and we civilians got left behind. Mom and dad were one of the ones that were too stubborn to leave, so we got stuck here when the invasion started. Then they rounded us all up and divided us into these compounds, which are basically internment camps but by a different name. Each one is called a different district. This one is District Four."

It was Elsa's turn to be shocked. Anna's story didn't leave much hope for them. "Mom and dad really thought that I was better off there? They didn't question it at all?"

"If they did, they never verbalized it to me. I think mom was against the whole thing, because I often caught her crying after her and dad talked about you. I vaguely remember them arguing and fighting a bunch when I was little, and I think it was usually about you," Anna said.

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now, and I don't plan on leaving. At least, not without you guys."

Anna was confused by Elsa's stubbornness. She was so determined to get them out of the district. "Why do you want to rescue us? We left you to rot in that horrible place. I mean, I tried like hell to get them to go back and get you when this all started, but they said there was no time. So you should at least be royally pissed and hurt about that."

"I don't know. I wanted to scream at mom when I first saw her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. She genuinely looked hurt when she saw me. But I still resent her some," Elsa admitted.

"And what about dad?" Anna asked.

"I'll probably do the same thing with him. I'm a little angry at them, but I still love them. I can't bring myself to hate them no matter what. But we have got to get you guys out of this place. It's not safe here for any of us."

Returning her gaze to the ceiling, Anna thought about what they were going to do to escape. "I have no idea how we're going to do this, Els. You should at least get a tour of the place, which we'll do first thing tomorrow. I'll introduce you to Kristoff and his brother, show you around, and let you determine what to do next. You and your friend were crazy to get here like you did. But hey, maybe the rebels will actually win and get rid of the Russians. We've heard stories of them doing it before, so maybe there's hope for that."

In the darkness, Elsa had a crooked grin on her face. She was finally home, and was really going to get her family out of the hellhole they had been stuck in for the last few years. After wishing her sister a good night, she laid her head down on the one worn, filthy pillow she had been given and closed her eyes. It didn't take long before sleep consumed her and brought her the first good dreams she'd had in a long time.


	11. Chapter 10 - Breaking the Ice

**Chapter 10**

 _Breaking the Ice_

"Come on Elsa, this way!" Anna demanded excitedly.

They exited the apartment building shortly after breakfast. Anna was dragging her sister by the hand, guiding her to some unknown destination. Elsa barely had time to get dressed and eat before being forced to go on a crazy tour of the district. The few people they passed by barely paid them any attention. It was still early enough in the morning that most people hadn't come out of hiding just yet. Elsa wondered if last night's rain had something to do with it.

A patrol passed them by on the road, but they too ignored the girls as they sped their way down the street to the end of the block. Without stopping, Anna turned right and kept going, Elsa barely able to keep up. It didn't seem to be the most efficient way to give someone a tour of the district, but Elsa just went along with it. She was just happy to be spending time with her sister, though it did make her wonder where they were going.

"Anna, slow down!" Elsa shouted as they jogged.

"Not yet! Not until we get to Kristoff's place!"

"Can't we just walk?"

Anna laughed at her sister's question and shook her head, her braids whipping around with the motion. "No! We're not that far anyway!"

Her sister had the biggest smile on her face, and it reached her sparkling blue eyes as the light glimmered and danced around in them. The morning sun had burned through the rain clouds of last night's storm, and it already was rather bright out. Elsa had never seen someone so excited about introducing people before. It was as if Anna was so filled with energy that it could cause her to burst at the seams at any instant. It was heartwarming and inspiring, if not incredibly difficult to keep up with.

As they wound their way through the city streets, Anna would point out certain buildings or people that she knew. "That's Mr. Andrews," she told her sister as she panted. "He's really nice and used to run a pet store.

"That over there is Michael. I forget his last name. He helped me once when a couple guys were harassing me.

"This lady up here is Elizabeth. She's also a contact for the you-know-who, kind of like dad was. She's really sweet."

The names flew by as Elsa tried to process it all. She knew she'd forget them before long, but she just went along with whatever her sister said. But, at the mention of their dad, she stopped in her tracks. It caught Anna off guard and nearly sent her crashing to the ground.

"Elsa, what the hell!?" Anna shouted.

"What did you say about dad?" Elsa asked, ignoring the look on her sister's face.

"Huh? You mean the part about him being a contact for the resistance?"

Elsa nodded her head. "Yeah. I thought you guys didn't know. That's what mom made it sound like."

"Of course we knew," Anna said as she rolled her eyes. "Do you think dad could have done something like that without us knowing? I even helped, but when the Russians came breaking down our door, dad took all the blame. He told them that me and mom knew nothing about it."

"Then you have contacts here in the district, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Great. I think Sasha and I are going to need to talk to them," Elsa said quietly. "They have to have a way to get out of here."

Anna crossed her arms and thought for a minute, then grinned. "The underground railroad. Of course! I almost forgot about it."

The statement caused Elsa to blink stupidly. "The what?"

"It's sort of like back in the 1800's when slavery was still a thing. Back then the railroad was a network of safe houses and different routes to sneak the slaves into the free west. Some went to Canada and Mexico too. Anyway, the point is, we help people sneak out of here," Anna said proudly.

"Wait. We? As in, you're actually a part of the resistance?" Elsa asked skeptically.

"Yeah, except I haven't been very active for a little while," Anna admitted. "Plus I've been too afraid to do anything since dad was taken away. I was told to lay low for a bit, because 'they' are likely watching me and mom."

They both fell silent for a moment as Elsa looked around and scratched her arm. The gears in her head were spinning, trying to figure out how they were going to escape the compound. The answer lied with the rebels. That much Elsa knew for sure.

"Maybe it's time for you to get back into it," Elsa finally said. She wasn't looking at her sister, but instead was staring blankly off into the distance.

"Elsa, dad just got picked up a few days before you showed up," Anna informed her sister. "That's hardly enough time for things to die down. If I get involved again already, they'll be all over us. You don't want to go back to Langdon's, and I don't feel like getting sent to the prison camp and having God-knows-what happen to me. From what I've heard, they don't even separate the men and women there, and the guards are vicious and disgusting."

"Just think about it, okay?" Elsa pleaded again. She had been doing that a lot with her sister.

Anna huffed and grabbed her sister's hand again. "Fine, I'll think about it. But let's go introduce you to Kristoff. I know he'll want to meet you. Just be careful of Adam. He's not dangerous, but he's moody when he's strung out. He's practically skin and bones, and doesn't eat much when they do have food. But he'll steal from you if you let your guard down so he can trade whatever for more drugs. Oh, and I hope you left that gun of yours back at the apartment. Don't act surprised Elsa. I saw it last night. It was in the waistband of your pants. I'm sure mom noticed it too. Now then, let's go."

Once more Anna was guiding her sister through the rundown streets of District Four. They weren't in a hurry like before. Anna had slowed their pace down considerably, allowing Elsa the chance to just talk about nothing in particular with her sister. Small talk wasn't something she was accustomed to, but it felt natural and easy with Anna. Perhaps it had something to do with that deep connection that they had when they were little. Coming home was working wonders for her. They had picked up right where they left off all those years ago. It was like they were best friends the entire time, and nothing had changed.

After about a solid ten minutes of walking, they arrived at a small park. The rusty iron sign read "Dayton Park", and it had a couple of trees near the tiny playground. The toys were rundown and broken, and the grass was bleached by the summer sun. There were a couple benches, but those too had been broken at some point and were completely useless. The park was, for the most part, wholly unremarkable.

At the back of the park were a couple of tents that were torn and patched up in several places. A small cooking range was set up near a muddied fire pit. There was an empty clothesline stretched between two trees, and a couple of beach chairs that were also ripped leaned up against some bushes. It reminded Elsa of the small camp in the warehouse the day before. It was rather disheartening.

Anna waved for her sister to follow her towards the tents, and as they drew closer a rather large, burly man with dirty blonde hair and eyes like chocolate clambered out of one of them. He saw them and immediately grinned. Once they were close enough, he picked up the redhead and squeezed her into a tight hug.

"Good morning, sunshine! I wasn't expecting you for a little while still," the man said.

Anna giggled as he gently set her back down. "I know, but I wanted to introduce you to my sister! Elsa, this is Kristoff. Kristoff, Elsa."

"Wait, sister? You mean the one that died a long time ago?" Kristoff asked, perplexed.

"Yeah. Apparently, she's not dead! She was just held prisoner in some underground prison complex where they did all sorts of science and experiments on her and left her with a bunch of nasty scars and-"

"Anna, I don't think he wants to hear about all that," Elsa said with a cough. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you. Anna has been excited about introducing you to me. I just hope you treat her as well as she claims."

Kristoff let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I try. I figure that she deals with enough bad shit most of the time, so she needs some sort of escape. So, I try to brighten her day and all that sappy stuff."

"Is Adam here?" Anna asked quietly.

"No, he left before it was light out. I'm sure he's trying to score some more dope. I can't get him off the shit no matter how hard I try. I can get him clean for a few days, but then he's right back to it." It was clear that Kristoff was frustrated.

"I know babe, but he's been like this for a long time. We've tried everything. He won't listen to us and you know it. What are we going to do?"

"I know it's none of my business," Elsa began, "but there's a good chance that this is exactly what Adam wants. It might be the only way he can cope with how things are. I know I've done some pretty unhealthy things in order to cope with my problems."

Kristoff and Anna exchanged looks but said nothing. It was clear what Elsa was talking about, at least to her sister, and it made the whole situation a little awkward.

"Well, anyway," Kristoff said, breaking the awkward silence, "he's not here and probably won't be back for a while. Maybe even a couple of days. So it's just going to be us."

"Does he do this a lot?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, all the time. I've pretty much given up on keeping tabs on him. It used to worry me all the time, but now I honestly don't really care. I mean, I do care since he's my brother, but there's no real point in getting worried about something that will never change," he said in defeat.

Another patrol passed by, and immediately Elsa put her hood back up to cover herself. Kristoff and Anna noticed, and both shifted uneasily until the patrol was out of sight.

"Is something wrong?" Kristoff inquired.

"Oh, nothing. They just make me nervous," Elsa replied as she lowered her hood again.

"Anyway, we should show her around! It's been a long time since she was in the city, and things have changed. We can show her the different checkpoints that the soldiers use to control crowds, and then we can take her to Martin's Place," Anna said excitedly.

"Who is Martin?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, it's just the name of the place. It's an old pool hall and bar. Pretty much everyone our age hangs out there. Maybe you can make some friends," Kristoff told her with a grin.

Once again Elsa started scratching her arm and stared off into the distance nervously. "I don't know you guys. I don't really feel like meeting a bunch of people. I'm already kind of overwhelmed as it is."

Anna instantly felt bad for her sister. She had forgotten that Elsa hadn't been socialized at all while she was gone. "I'm sorry Elsa. You don't have to go if you don't want to. We can just walk around for a little bit and chitchat. Maybe fill Kristoff in on what happened if you feel up to it. You can trust him too, I promise. He already knows a little bit anyway. You can always show him why you were sent to that awful place..."

"No, Anna, I can't. I never learned how. It's still completely out of my control," Elsa explained.

Kristoff was looking back and forth at the girls, utterly lost as to what they were talking about. He knew that Elsa had been sent away to some center for children with special conditions, but that was it. Anna was never very specific on the details beyond that. It was fine with him though. It was none of his business.

"It's fine," he finally said. "Elsa, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't feel like it. Just know you can talk to me about anything, and you're more than welcome to once you feel ready to. I won't judge. I can keep secrets too. I mean, I knew about your dad and Anna. I kind of maybe helped with that as well."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're in the resistance too?"

"Shh! Not so loud. The Russians have eyes and ears everywhere," he replied hurriedly. "They've managed to get people to turn on one another with promises of food and other luxuries. Not everyone has taken the bait, but there are those that have. It's honestly disgusting."

"Okay. I'm sorry, I-I didn't think-"

"It's fine. Just try to remember from now on, okay?" he pleaded.

Elsa nodded her understanding, and they decided it was time to show her around town. The district was large enough that it could take thirty minutes or more to walk the entire perimeter, but even longer to navigate all the streets. As they walked, they mostly talked about nothing in particular, although the occasional discussion or story involving the rebels did come up. For some reason, she immediately felt comfortable with Kristoff, as if they had known each other a long time. He had a way about him that was genuine and reassuring, and he was incredibly laid back. She knew instantly that they'd end up being good friends. So when he discussed anything involving the resistance, she knew it was safe to talk about it as long as she didn't mention them.

"So what do you guys do for fun?" Elsa eventually asked.

"Besides hang out at Martin's? Not a whole lot. Sometimes we play basketball with a few of the soldiers that aren't dicks. Believe it or not, a lot of them aren't assholes. Most are just regular guys that got sucked into this nightmare with the rest of us," the burly blonde said.

"Oh, so they don't want to-"

Elsa stopped dead in her tracks, unable to finish her sentence. She looked from her sister to Kristoff and her eyes bulged. There was a tingling sensation rippling up and down her spine. It was a very old and familiar feeling.

"I have to get inside. Now!" she urged as she ran for what she prayed was an empty house. The others followed after her after exchanging puzzled looks, and when they entered the house behind her they saw the impossible.

Elsa's hand started to glow bright blue, then white, and she held out her arm and pointed it at one of the walls as a flash of light shot out from her palm. It lasted only a couple seconds, then it dissipated. On the wall was a large formation of ice and frost culminating into a sharp point where it escaped from her hand. She was panting heavily, and her eyes were wide and her face flushed. Her eyes shifted only slightly as she lowered her hand.

There was a heavy silence in the room, as no one dared speak. Kristoff and Anna's jaws had dropped, and their eyes were as wide as Elsa's. They had never seen anything like it, and neither was sure how to react to it. Anna even knew about it, but seeing it was something else entirely. What they had just witnessed shouldn't have been possible.

After several long seconds, Elsa wrapped her arms around herself and fell to her knees. She was suddenly exhausted, and her breathing hadn't quite relaxed yet. But then she raised her head so she could meet their eyes with hers, and she had tears running down her cheeks.

"I-I am so s-s-sorry. I didn't m-mean too..." she began.

"Elsa, don't you dare apologize," Anna said, snapping herself back to normal. "I am not going to have my sister feel ashamed for being who she is."

"But this is why I'm a monster!" Elsa shouted. "This is why I was locked away!"

"That doesn't mean anything, Elsa! Look at what they did to you! They made you believe that you're some horrible person when you're not. I forgave you a long time ago, and I stand by that," her sister said.

Kristoff shook his head and blinked several times while trying to process everything. "Look, I have no idea what I just saw, but Anna's right. I can't imagine you being this monster you seem to think you are. I don't get that vibe from you at all. But I am really curious now about what happened to you. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'd really appreciate it if this," he said as he motioned with his hand towards the ice on the wall, "was explained. I mean, what I just saw isn't possible!"

"Elsa has these powers that let her create ice out of nothing," Anna stated as if she were an expert on the matter. "She accidentally hurt me with them when we were little, and that's why she was sent away. She endured a lot of shit over the last thirteen years, and she was able to escape that place and find her way home."

Helping her sister to her feet, Anna threw her arms around Elsa and pulled her in for a comforting hug. Elsa continued to cry into Anna's shoulder until she couldn't cry any longer. She shot Kristoff an apologetic glance, to which he simply shrugged. There was little he could do besides just let them be.

Once she was done, Elsa stepped back and looked at what she had done to the wall. "We need to get out of here. Get off the streets for a little bit. Once someone sees this they'll be looking for me."

"Wait. What do you mean?" Kristoff asked.

"The Russians are looking for me. I was a test subject at Langdon's, and now that I'm on the run they want me back," Elsa told him. "They were hunting me down the day I escaped, and I'm pretty sure they're still on the lookout for me. I'm basically a fugitive."

Anna had a worried look on her face, and carefully guided her sister towards the front door. "Okay, well, why don't we get you off the street for now. We can head back home if you want, or we can go somewhere else if you'd prefer. It doesn't really matter to me. I just want you to be comfortable. Okay?"

Nodding, Elsa tried hard to keep herself calm. But as they walked down the street and headed back towards the apartment, she couldn't help but feel paranoid of every patrol or person they walked by. _Any one of them could turn me in._ She tried to not think about it. If she did, she could feel her skin crawl. It was unsettling to say the least. They were thoughts she didn't want to have.

00000

The apartment was quiet and empty when they returned. There was no sign of Sarah or Sasha anywhere. It was perfectly fine with them though; they wanted some privacy anyway. After what had happened, Elsa didn't feel like explaining things to her mother. Sasha she would tell later, once she felt better. If she felt better. After everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours, she wasn't sure she'd be okay for quite a while. What happened to her in the alley was still fresh and heavy on her mind, and it took all she had to not break down again. But she had promised herself she wouldn't tell anyone about the incident. They already had enough to worry about.

Elsa leaned her back against the wall near the kitchenette and slid down to the floor with a huff. She still felt wiped out, and her legs didn't really want to support her any longer. It took too much energy to stand, and she had a slight headache on top of it. There was a slight buzzing feeling in her stomach, and she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them in order to try and comfort herself. It didn't help much though. She always felt this way after her powers did something, except for when she was sitting on the roof. That was different. It was like it seeped out of her and she had no idea.

"Elsa, are you feeling alright?" Anna asked, snapping Elsa out of her thoughts. "You look like you're about to be sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Or I will be. It always leaves me feeling weird. I hate it. The worst part is not being able to control it. I just don't know how."

Kristoff pulled up one of the chairs, turned it around, and sat down on it with his arms across the back of it. "Maybe it had to do with all that negative bullshit that happened to you. Like it was a stressful environment, you didn't have a good teacher of any kind, and it sounds like you were punished when things didn't work right. So maybe what you need is the exact opposite of all that."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Anna added. "Maybe we can find a place for you to practice on your own, without being subjected to all that horrible stuff. There are plenty of abandoned buildings here in the district. Nobody would ever notice if we were in the backyard or something."

"You guys don't understand, I've been trying my whole life to try and make my powers cooperate! How is practicing out here going to help any more than back at the facility?" Elsa asked.

"Because here you have people that love you and will give you positive reinforcement," her sister assured her. "You're not going to be examined and poked and prodded here. We will give you space and cheer you on. You won't be expected to be successful, and there's no fear of being cut open and operated on again."

"Or being hooked up to scary machines and experimented on," Kristoff added.

Anna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, or that. We'll fully support you. Maybe you can even learn to work it into that training that you were talking about with Sasha. He was going to teach you hand-to-hand fighting, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then maybe once you do learn control, you can learn to fight with it too. Think about how cool that would be!" Anna exclaimed excitedly. "Er, no pun intended."

For some reason, that made Elsa smile a little. She definitely needed some silly humor in her life.

"There, that's what I want to see," Anna said. "More smiling. That's an order."

"Okay, I'll work on that."

"So now what?" Kristoff asked, interrupting the siblings. "Elsa is being hunted, she needs to learn how to control her powers, and we need to get her out of here so she can find somewhere safe to hide."

Elsa finally stood back up, though shakily, and shook her head. "I'm not leaving without my family. I'm not going to go through that again."

"And I told you that I'm not leaving without Kristoff," Anna countered.

"Wait, how do you plan on getting out? Even if my brother and I did go, there isn't a way out," he insisted.

"Anna said something about an underground railroad. A way to get people out. Plus the rebels managed to get in last night," Elsa said.

"Yeah, and they got pushed back this morning. The railroad is currently on lockdown until things settle. We're stuck here for the time being," Kristoff informed them.

Elsa's mood visibly changed, and she looked depressed again. Her eyes fell to the floor and her shoulders sagged. "What are we going to do then?"

"Nothing," Sasha said as he walked through the door. "We are going to sit right here for the time being. I'm sure you already know why though."

"Where have you been?" Elsa asked. "You were gone when I got up this morning."

Shrugging, Sasha leaned against the wall and fished out a cigarette and ignored the look he got from Anna. "I went digging around for information. It seems that the rebels withdrew this morning."

"Yeah, that's what Kristoff was saying," Anna said.

"Yes, but did he tell you that they did it on purpose?" he asked knowingly.

They shot looks of confusion at one another before Anna spoke again. "Why would they do that? I thought they wanted to free everyone like they did before."

"It is a tactical move. Hit and run, like the guerrillas in South America. They are trying to draw the Russians out, and it is working."

"If they manage to do that, there won't be anyone left to really keep an eye on the compound," Elsa said as it dawned on her what they were doing.

"Exactly," Sasha said. "Now what they need to do is get everyone to fight back against the Russians while they are occupied. In fact, they have already started."

"They have?" Elsa asked.

"They must be sending radio broadcasts again! That must mean they got control of some of the towers!" Anna said excitedly.

Sasha pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette held between his lips. "That is what I heard from one of the contacts I found. They have been broadcasting nonstop for the last several days. Since around the time your father was taken prisoner."

"But what are the broadcasts for?" Elsa asked, trying not to think about her father.

"It's propaganda to try and coax everyone into standing up to the Russians. From what I've heard, it's worked in some districts but not others. People are so downtrodden and dejected that it's hard to get them to see the light, even if it's right in front of them," Kristoff said.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"We lay low for now," Anna replied. "People will start to fight back once they get it through their heads that they need to fight."

Taking a long puff on his cigarette, Sasha looked to Elsa to make sure she understood. "Right now, we do nothing. We let the Russians and rebels fight. From what I heard, they are going to blow another hole in the wall to divide the Russians' attention. I guess there are more rebels out there than we thought. But that does not mean you will not be training. Do not give me that look. We will begin in one hour. I found an old gym that still has equipment there. That is where I will teach you. You two are welcome to come along," he said, indicating Anna and Kristoff.

They looked at one another and nodded eagerly. "We want to see what you can do," Anna said enthusiastically.

"Okay then. One hour," he said as he took one last drag off his cigarette.


	12. Chapter 11 - Riot on the Streets

**Chapter 11**

 _Riot on the Streets_

"Okay Elsa, I want you to close your eyes and just sort of relax your whole body," Anna instructed.

Elsa had been training with Sasha for over an hour and was relatively tired, but her sister decided it was time to take a break from all that and try something different. Anna said meditation was a great way to recuperate and took the reins. They had found a field behind some empty houses that was fenced off on all sides, and there was no one in sight. The fence was high enough to hide them from view, and there were enough trees to provide shade and shelter from the heat. Now they sat beneath a small oak tree that was still relatively green.

"Now I want you to take a deep breath, then slowly let it out. There needs to be a rhythm to it, so just pace yourself. In, and out. In, and out."

Sasha and Kristoff sat a little bit away from the girls, letting them do their own thing. They mostly chatted about what was going on with the rebels and what the Russians had been doing before Elsa had escaped Langdon's. Occasionally they'd discuss their pasts, or just talk about nothing important at all. It was basically bonding time for them, even if they had only just met. In the back of his mind, Sasha was basically doing it for Elsa. He was making sure that she was going to be in good hands once he decided to leave. If he decided to leave.

That part he hadn't decided on just yet. Even thinking about it made him feel slightly guilty, but he knew Elsa needed to move on with her life. He had accomplished what he had promised to do, and now he was free to leave if he chose to. But he wasn't sure that she would still be safe once he was gone. Plus there was the matter of her father. He almost felt obligated to help her rescue him; he just had no idea how.

"I want you to imagine a flame, a blazing fire at the center of your mind. Then I want you to take every negative thought you have and burn them. Feed them to that fire and forget them. Every bad memory, every nightmare, everything. You don't need those anymore," her sister continued.

"Do you think this will work?" Kristoff whispered to Sasha as they continued to watch the girls.

With a shrug, Sasha took a puff on his signature cigarette. How he hadn't run out of the things was a miracle. "I have no idea. But it is obvious that what they did at the facility did not work. This is important for her. She needs to learn control, and this is as good a method as any. Besides, it is good to see her so calm."

"You love her, don't you?" Kristoff asked with a smirk.

Sasha shot him an amused glance with one eyebrow cocked. "I care about her, yes. But I do not love her. Not like that anyway. She is my friend, and I do not want to see any more bad things happen to her. I want to see her grow into a powerful young woman. That is why I push her with the training and teach her how to survive. You would be surprised at how much she has learned in the last several days. When I met her, she knew nothing. In that short time, she has learned enough of the basic skills to stay alive outside the walls. She learns very quickly, and she is very smart."

"You sound like her dad," Kristoff said with a chuckle.

"Eh, perhaps I see her as my daughter," Sasha replied. "Her real father is clearly unfit to be called one. No one should have their child locked away like that. It makes me sick."

"Yeah, I agree. I've known Anna since elementary school, and her family almost never talked about Elsa. Anna talked about her all the time though, and really missed her. You should have seen how pissed off she was when her parents didn't go back to Langdon's to get Elsa. They actually had plenty of time to do it, but never bothered. Hell, it pissed me off too a little bit. Mostly because it hurt Anna so much. They got into such a huge fight over it, and Anna stormed out of the house and stayed the night at my place. This was before the invasion. In fact, it was just a few days before the bombs hit," Kristoff said bitterly.

They sat there a bit longer and watched in silence as the girls continued with their meditation. It was calm for a change, and they were all enjoying it. No one had to look over their shoulders to avoid the patrols or worry about another fight breaking out with the resistance. This place was like a small piece of heaven in the midst of all the chaos and destruction. For the first time in quite a while, they had found serenity.

It was a little while before the girls were finished, and Anna was the first to open her eyes. As soon as she did, she let out an audible gasp as she looked at her sister. "Elsa, open your eyes!"

Blinking back the light, Elsa did as she was told. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Look!"

Elsa looked around her and saw that, once again, there was a circle of ice and frost forming around her. "I-I am so sorry, Anna-"

"No! Do not apologize! This is exactly what we wanted!" Anna nearly shouted as she stood and hopped around excitedly. "Elsa, this is great! That means it worked!"

"But I didn't feel anything strong enough to do this. Just a slight tingle."

"Maybe you don't have to. Maybe the sensations you feel before it happens are like a warning, kind of like your body telling you that something is coming and you can't stop it," Anna mused.

"So how am I supposed to control them?" Elsa asked in confusion.

"I don't know. We'll work on that. There has to be a way. But we'll try again later and see if it happens again, okay? Just to make sure it's not a coincidence," Anna said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah. There's a couple memories that I can't get out of my head, but otherwise I feel good and relaxed."

Anna hummed to herself as she looked at her sister with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um, well, I still can't get over the day mom and dad dropped me off at Langdon's. That has always haunted me," Elsa admitted.

"Okay. What's the other thing?" Anna asked curiously.

Elsa suddenly looked down at the ground and became withdrawn, hugging herself and shifting uneasily. "I... I don't want to talk about it."

"Elsa, you can tell me anything," Anna said soothingly.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Elsa shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Everyone was quiet for a minute before Elsa fell to her knees and started crying. Anna was at her side in a heartbeat and had her sister wrapped up in her arms. She whispered to her that everything would be okay, but Elsa didn't hear her. There was too much shame and guilt in the way.

Anna kept rocking her back and forth, kissing her on the top of the head until she calmed down. "Elsa, sweetie, please talk to me. I want to help."

"You can't," Elsa whispered into her sister's shoulder.

"Let me try," Anna cooed.

Elsa was still shuddering and sniffling from her breakdown, and refused to look anyone in the eye. "Last n-night, when w-we went to get our t-things, I was attacked," she began. "S-S-Sasha was inside getting our p-packs, and I was looking out for patrols. T-that's when I was grabbed f-from behind."

"Elsa, you do not have to talk about it," Sasha interrupted.

Ignoring him, Elsa calmed herself more and continued. "He dragged me into an alley and threw me to the ground. I don't know exactly what happened because he kicked me in the head. But he got on top of me and was holding me down. I fought him the best that I could, but he was bigger than me. He managed to take off my pants and underwear and..." Elsa couldn't finish, and broke down again in her sister's arms.

"Oh my God, Elsa. I am so fucking sorry," Anna said as she rocked Elsa back and forth.

"Do not worry," Sasha interrupted again. "He did not get the chance to get any further."

Anna looked up and was becoming teary eyed herself. "What do you mean?"

Sasha shrugged at her, trying to act calm about the whole thing. "I took care of it. I found them, grabbed the sick fuck, and dealt with him. He did not have a chance to do anything to her, and he will not be bothering anyone ever again."

Anna nodded and mouthed a thank you at him, and continued to console her sister until she was finally calm enough to stand again. They began to head back to the apartment, Anna holding Elsa's hand on one side and Sasha with his arm around her shoulders on the other. It must have looked strange to any passerby, but they really didn't care. As long as Elsa felt comfortable and safe, that's all that mattered.

Then they heard shouting coming from down the street, and moments later saw a crowd of people running by, followed by several soldiers. People were throwing rocks and bottles at the soldiers, and several were yelling profanities and other things at them.

"Fucking Reds!"

"Commie fucks!"

"Vodka niggers!"

Elsa and the others stood there and watched as the crowd suddenly turned around on the soldiers and overwhelmed them. They managed to get a few shots off, and there were some screams of pain, but it was only a matter of seconds before the soldiers were no longer standing. Deciding it was time to get off the streets, the group picked up their pace and walked as fast as they could back to the apartment. On their way, they saw more groups of people storming the streets, and heard more gunshots just on the other side of the block.

That's when they noticed the posters plastered all over the place. There were several different ones, all urging people to stand up and fight against the Russians in some fashion. They were all stylized and colored either red, white, or blue. It must have been the rebels' attempt at being patriotic. It seemed to be working, though, with more and more people taking to the streets as the group wound its way back home.

They managed to avoid any confrontation with the soldiers themselves, and took the long way back. When they did finally reach the apartment, Sarah threw open the door and forced them all in. She was wide eyed and frantic, and the radio was playing some resistance broadcast in the background.

"Oh thank God you're alright! I thought you girls were caught up in all that nonsense!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Mom, we're fine. Relax. We were just helping Elsa with some stuff. We didn't get into any trouble, we were never in any danger, and even if we were we have Sasha and Kristoff," Anna explained.

This seemed to reassure Sarah some as she became visibly calmer. "Well, that's good. I was afraid you would get it in your heads to start up with that resistance nonsense again."

"Mom, again, we're fine. And I never stopped with that resistance 'nonsense'. I'm just laying low since the thing with dad. But if things are turning around this fast already, then I might have no choice but to return to duty."

"Duty? You act like it's your responsibility. Your father got that bullshit stuck in your head and you actually believe in it. Just look where it got him." Sarah was rather annoyed with Anna's comment.

"Yeah, and we're going to get him back. I talked to a couple of the contacts the day after dad was taken. They plan on storming the prison compound and freeing everyone, and you know what? I plan on being there when it happens! I'm sick and tired of living in fear mom!" Anna said through clenched teeth. She was now getting angry as well, and she balled her hands into fists.

Sarah was livid. "You're going to throw your life away for these people!? For something that will most likely fail!?"

That was it. Anna couldn't take anymore of her mother's cowardice. She had enough. "Throw my life away!? Mom, open your fucking eyes! We are not living! Every day is a struggle! We have no food! No power! No water! We have nothing! The Russians have raped us of everything! We have to do something! Lying around feeling sorry for ourselves hasn't worked for three fucking years! Something has to change!"

"Please stop!" Elsa pleaded as she tried to stop the fighting.

"You sound just like your father! He wanted to play soldier too. Look at where it got him! He's probably dead, and it was the resistance's fault!"

"No, dad was fighting to help free us! To get us out of this shithole! Everything he did was for us and our neighbors! The only mistake he ever made was leaving Elsa at the horrible place! But you, you could have stopped that. You could have done something. But just like always, you were too much of a chickenshit to stand up for your children! If you gave a fuck at all, you'd be helping us! But instead you'd rather sit here and cower in fear!" Anna screamed.

"I said stop!" Elsa shouted as she got in between the two women. "This fucking fighting is getting us nowhere!"

Anna and Sarah glowered at one another but said nothing more. There was a tense silence hanging in the room: the only sounds that could be heard were the muffled noises coming from the streets outside. Sasha simply watched them as they stood there, and Kristoff shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm so fucking done with this," Anna finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm going for a walk."

As she turned to leave, Kristoff called after her. "Anna, wait! Where are you going?"

"Out. I don't know where, and I want to be left alone."

"I am not letting you go alone!"

"Whatever."

Kristoff rushed after her as she slammed the door shut behind her. Then there was silence once more.

Elsa was furious. Her mother and sister were being incredibly stupid and stubborn, and now she had to pick up the pieces. Then she turned to her mother angrily and stared her down. "You know, I waited thirteen long years to come home to see you. But now I am disgusted with you. You could have put your foot down and stopped dad from handing me over to Doctor Harvey, but you didn't. It was like you didn't want me. Now you're pushing Anna away and telling her that fighting to live is a foolish idea. The only fool I see right now is you. Wake the fuck up mom! You are losing your family because you are too afraid of your own shadow. Because you are too timid and frightened of what might happen. I'll be honest. I don't know if Anna is going to come back, and frankly, I don't know if I will either."

Then she turned to leave, and walked towards the door. Sasha caught her by the arm before she got any further, and looked her over. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"No," she said as she shook her head. "But right now, I have to find Anna and calm her down. Let's go."

00000

The streets were a dangerous place at the moment, but Elsa didn't really care. She'd been through worse already. There were crowds of people on every street harassing the Russian soldiers that were sent to handle crowd control. Bottles and rocks seemed to be in vast supply, and every time a gas canister was shot out someone would grab it and toss it back. There were more profanities being shouted, and there were always a couple people waving the American flag.

The soldiers still hadn't opened fire on the people, even though they could. For whatever reason, they hadn't resorted to brute force. It's not something Elsa or Sasha were accustomed to seeing. Normally the Russians had no issue with opening fire on the innocent, or brutally beating someone into submission. She had seen it plenty of times back at the facility with the guards, and the ones they were dealing with were just kids.

They did their best to skirt around the rioting crowds and made a beeline for the park where Kristoff lived. It wasn't too far of a walk, but the amount of soldiers they had to avoid was more than either wished for. When they finally arrived, Elsa headed straight for Kristoff's tent.

"Kristoff! Anna! Come out please!" she begged. "We need to talk!"

"They're not here, babe," a weak voice said from the other tent.

"Who is that?" she asked hesitantly.

Slowly stumbling out of the tent was a tall, lanky man. He was incredibly emaciated, and she could see his ribs clearly. His brown hair was a disheveled mess, and he had a very distant look in his eyes. Barely able to stand, he swayed as he walked towards the pair and nearly fell on his face in the process.

"Hey sexy, name's Adam. I'm Kristoff's bro," he finally mumbled.

Elsa gave him a very nervous smile and tried to not look him in the eyes. "Well, um, Adam, I'm looking for them. Do you know where they are?"

"Nah, haven't seen 'em all day," he said, with slightly less mumbling than before.

"Where do they normally hang out?" Sasha asked.

Adam seemed completely out of it and barely acknowledged the question for a minute. "So, you wanna come in and party with me babe? I got some killer shit."

"Um, as nice of an offer as that is, Adam, I'm going to have to say no," she said as she slowly started backing away. "But thank you anyway. I just really need to find Kristoff and Anna. It's urgent."

"Whatever. They ain't here. You sure you don't wanna party? I can give you the ride of your life," he said as he nearly fell over again.

"The girl said no. Do not push your luck," Sasha warned. "Come, we will go check the field. Maybe we will be lucky and find them there."

Shrugging, Adam ungracefully turned to head back to his tent. "Your loss. I'll be around if you change your mind, babe."

Disgusted and feeling rather filthy, Elsa grabbed Sasha's wrist and stormed out of the park. Her cheeks were flushed red and she felt rather embarrassed, and she could hear Sasha chuckling behind her. Ignoring him, she dragged him back out onto the street and turned to head towards the field.

It was still chaotic with all the people causing trouble, and it made travel difficult. The riot squads were out in full force trying to quell the overzealous rioters. The air was becoming thick with smoke and tear gas, and it was burning Elsa's eyes. She had to stop several times to dry out her eyes and avoid a coughing fit. The worst part was they still had several blocks to go, and she had no idea if she could make it. Even her nose and sinuses were starting to burn.

Finally they arrived at the field, and she had to take a quick break to breathe. Sasha didn't seem to be nearly as affected by everything as she was. She was rather jealous. Still, they had made it and that was what mattered. Once she managed to catch her breath, they checked the few houses nearby before going out to the field beyond.

Scanning the field for any signs of life, Elsa began to panic when she found none. "They're not here either. Where the hell could they have gone?"

"Did your sister mention any places she likes to hang out?" Sasha asked.

"She mentioned some bar called Martin's Place," Elsa remembered. "I suppose they could have gone there. But she said she wanted to be alone. I don't think a popular hangout would be where someone went to be alone."

"In case you did not notice, most people are out on the streets pissing the Russians off."

Elsa let out a frustrated sigh and turned to her companion. "Alright, let's go check it out. I don't know where else to look though. If she's not there, then I don't know what else to do."

Once more they made their way back into the insanity that was running amok. As they were walking as fast as they could, an explosion rocked the compound. It wasn't far from where they were, and they could easily see the black smoke from the blast funneling into the sky. It didn't seem like anyone else noticed, and if they did they didn't seem to care. It was followed by the wailing of sirens, but Elsa doubted it would do any good. The Russians seem to be too preoccupied with the riots to do much about it.

As they wandered down the sidewalk, Elsa suddenly realized she had no idea where Martin's Place was. Anna and Kristoff never got around to showing her. They had been wandering aimlessly through the district without any clue as to where to go.

"Sasha! I have no idea where this place is!" she shouted, trying to be heard over the sirens.

"Do not worry! It is where I met that contact I spoke to! Follow me!" he shouted back.

Suddenly he turned and cut right across the street through one of the masses of people. It wasn't long before Elsa was sucked into the throng and lost sight of him. Frantically she looked and searched, trying her best to push her way through to where she thought he went. Unfortunately, every time she took a step in that direction, she'd get pushed and prodded by someone and eventually found herself near the front of crowd, where just yards away were the riot squads.

Face to face with the Russian soldiers, she was right next to the ones that were brave enough to coax and taunt them. Some had started throwing molotovs at the guards, causing them to burst into fire or landing just feet away and creating walls of flame. The soldiers started launching more tear gas in response, and one canister landed right next to her feet. As soon as it went off her eyes blurred heavily and started burning, and she couldn't control the coughing that followed. Fortunately some brave soul grabbed the thing and sent it flying back at the riot squad, but it was a tad too late. She had fallen to the ground and couldn't stop the pain. At some point someone grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her up, but she couldn't see who.

Eventually her eyes and throat calmed down enough so she could see what was going on without crying or doubling over in a coughing fit. She was still at the forefront of the crowd of rioters, much to her dismay. She made an effort to crawl back into the mass of people, but people kept urging her to do whatever the others were doing. No matter how many times she tried to retreat back into the crowd, she was pushed back out to the front. It was starting to terrify her, and she felt that familiar tingle crawling up her spine again. Why now of all times she had no idea, and she tried hard to suppress the feeling. Though she wasn't sure why, the feeling went away almost immediately. Perhaps her powers finally decided to listen to her.

While she was standing there petrified, a rough hand grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back into the crowd of people. When she turned to see who it was, she saw Sasha dragging her through the throng and out into an alley. After they walked a little ways in, he let go of her arm and turned to her.

"I thought I told you to follow me!" he yelled a tad angrily.

Elsa leaned against the wall and almost doubled over. She was trying not to cry. "I did! But then I lost you in the crowd!"

Sasha opened and closed his mouth several times as he paced back and forth. He was upset, that much was obvious, but she didn't think he was angry with her. "Come, we are almost there. Just a couple more blocks. I will try to avoid any more crowds."

With a nod Elsa shakily followed, and they worked their way through the next couple blocks while avoiding any more groups of rioters. It was difficult, of course. They were everywhere and nearly impossible to avoid entirely. It was bad enough that Elsa had to run across the streets with her arms protectively covering her head from flying projectiles. Some of the riot squads had started opening fire, but Sasha assured her that they were using rubber bullets. It didn't make it any better. She had to run even faster from cover to cover just to avoid getting shot.

After what seemed like forever, they arrived at Martin's Place. It didn't seem as run down as the others, although it was painted an ugly brown color that was peeling all over. The diamond-patterned windows were, for the most part, surprisingly intact. The paint on the sign was peeling just as badly as the walls, and much like the rest of the district there was garbage and debris piled up outside. It was rather unimpressive overall.

Following Sasha inside, the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke immediately assaulted Elsa's nose. It was dimly lit, the only other source of light besides the sun filtering through the windows being candles on all the tables. The bar was empty except for for the three occupants in the back corner. Elsa made a beeline for the table and sat down across from Anna. Kristoff sat to her right, and the other man she didn't recognize. She assumed it was the guy that ran the place.

When she sat down, she immediately noticed that Anna was taking a drag of a cigarette and was still visibly pissed off. "I didn't know you smoke," she said conversationally.

Her sister flashed her a grimace before removing the thing from her lips. "I don't, actually."

"Then why?" Elsa asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Because I'm fucking stressed, Elsa. Mom is being impossible and I don't know why. I just want her to wake up and realize that we can't do this anymore," Anna replied as she smothered the remainder of the cigarette in a glass ashtray that sat near the candle at the center of the table. "Don't ever try them, Els. They're disgusting and can cause lung cancer. I don't know why I picked that one up."

"Do you need anything more to drink, kiddo? I won't tell anyone," the unknown man asked the redhead.

Anna shook her head as she let out a sigh. "No. I've had enough. Last thing I need to do is deal with my mother while drunk."

"So you're going to come back? Do you plan on patching things up with mom?" Elsa asked eagerly.

Anna didn't answer right away. She just sat there and stared at the table for a minute while swirling the rum in her glass. "I don't know. I really don't want to see her right now."

Placing a hand on her sister's, Elsa had a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, Anna, come back home. Not only is it dangerous out, but mom is devastated. I didn't help with the situation either. But you should have seen the crushed look in her eyes. Please, if you won't do it for mom or yourself, do it for me."

She was quiet for a minute, then let out another restrained sigh. Her shoulders sagged and her head drooped until it rested on the table. "Fine. I'm only going to do it because you asked. You're lucky that I love you."

00000

The apartment was dark and quiet when they returned, the shades having been drawn closed. The only sound that could be heard was the sniffling sound coming from Sarah. She was sitting in one of the chairs and had it facing away from the door. It was difficult to see her, but there was a sliver of light that managed to sneak through the curtains which lit up a tiny square on the floor.

As they walked inside, Anna and Elsa slowly moved towards their mother. Sarah barely moved as they drew closer. "You were right, both of you."

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Anna asked slowly.

"I'm a horrible mother. I let your sister rot in a place that I knew next to nothing about. I didn't know anything about what kinds of treatment she was supposed to be receiving or anything. I just went along with what your father said because I am weak," Sarah sadly admitted as she tried to keep herself together. "Then I kept the two of you apart for so long... I fought with your father all the time, you know. I told him that it was wrong, that we should have her home. That we could deal with her condition ourselves."

"Mom, it's not a condition. It's not something you can treat. It's a part of me. It's who I am," Elsa said defensively.

Sarah still refused to look at them, and instead toyed with the hem of her shirt. Her hair was up in a bun, but it had started to come undone at some point. It was a disheveled mess, and strands of it now hung across her shoulders and back. "We didn't know back then. We had no idea what it was. Hell, we hoped you'd grow out of it, but it's obvious you didn't. But that doesn't matter. What matters is, believe it or not, I love you sweetheart. I know I've been terrible at showing you that, but I truly do. I love you both. But I was incredibly unfair to you."

"Look mom, I'm sorry for what I said before I stormed out. I was just hurt and angry. I so badly want to get us out of here, and the only way I can do that is if I go back to the resistance and ask for help," Anna finally said. "I know you resent them because of dad, but they're our only chance of freedom from this hellhole."

"I know. But you were right. I am a coward. Always have been. Just look at what happened to our family. Look at what I allowed to happen. Elsa, you have to have so many scars inside. I can't imagine what you go through daily."

Elsa walked forward and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder and lightly squeezed. "Most days are a struggle, but I'm getting better. Sasha has helped a lot, and so has Anna. Just being home has helped. I mean, I suffered through nightmares the entire time I was there. I never had peaceful sleep until I got here. Every time I close my eyes I see the things they did to me. The look on Doctor Harvey's face when he saw the pain and torment I was in. I don't know if I'll ever get over it entirely, but it's not as bad as it was when I first escaped."

"Elsa, you probably have PTSD. I can't imagine you not having it in some form," Anna said. "And mom, I think we need to just move past this and try to fix things. But I am telling you right now that we are not giving up on dad."

Sarah didn't say anything more. She simply nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. For some reason, Elsa felt pity for her. The woman basically gave her away and did nothing to change it when she realized she was wrong. Yet, for some reason, Elsa forgave her mother and she had no idea why. Without a second thought, she leaned down and gave her mother a hug and told her she loved her.


	13. Chapter 12 - Cabin Fever

**Chapter 12**

 _Cabin Fever_

The sounds of the fighting and riots dragged on into the night, and it was keeping Elsa up. It didn't help that she was antsy and anxious about going to the resistance and hopefully getting her family and friends out of the district. Even though things were chaotic and it looked like the rebels might actually win, it was still far too dangerous to try and leave without help. They could get seriously hurt with the way people were acting out on the streets, and the idea of getting shot with rubber bullets didn't sound too appealing either. Plus, as far as she knew, the gates were still locked tight and heavily defended.

Getting her mother to agree to leave had been a challenge. Sarah was adamant about being left behind because, as far as she was concerned, she'd only be a hindrance. It took all four of them to convince her otherwise, and even then she was stubborn enough to argue with them. Finally she just caved and agreed to go with them. Elsa had this plan to take them all back to the church where she had met Mother Margaret and the other nuns. She had to explain to everyone that they had food, clothes, and shelter there, and would be safe from the Russians. The Russians, she said, respected the church enough to not bother the nuns that occupied it. From what Sasha had told her, Catholicism was rather big in Europe, which helped explain why the church was treated the way it was.

Lying in bed, Elsa could hear the light snoring of her sister and envied her. By all rights she should have been able to pass out the moment her head hit the pillow; she was more than tired enough to. But she had so many thoughts flying through her mind that she couldn't manage anything more than constant yawning. Closing her eyes only brought about images of that man that attacked her in the alley. It was horrific and still haunted her. She knew that it would take time to get over it, but she didn't know how much time. There was also the very real possibility that she'd never get over it. It wouldn't surprise her. She was going to have nightmares for the rest of her life about her imprisonment at Langdon's, too. The worst part was she didn't have any idea if there was some way to deal with them better.

Between the sounds outside and her grim thoughts and haunting memories, Elsa could do nothing more than count the seconds as they passed by. There was no ticking of a clock, so she had to keep close track in order to know how long she had been staring at the ceiling. Of course, back at the facility the only sounds she ever had were the electronic hum of the lights above or the ventilation system kicking in. For most of her life those were the sounds that comforted her to sleep every night. Since she escaped, she had slowly become accustomed to the new sounds that she had heard around her. Granted, most of it was explosions and gunfire, but it was still very different from what she was used to.

Rolling over to her side to face away from her snoring sister, Elsa let out a groan in frustration. Her eyes and throat were dry, and her body ached. Sadly, it was only a few minutes later that she rolled over onto her other side, letting out yet another groan. Nothing was working. Finally she decided to sit up and try meditating to see if that would help, but then remembered what would happen if she did that. She still didn't have control of her powers yet. It would be a rude awakening for Anna if Elsa was to cover the room in ice.

Suddenly, Elsa had an idea. _Maybe if I try and force it down when the tingling comes like I did before..._ Without a second thought, she extracted herself from the cocoon she had created out of her blanket and planted herself in the middle of the room. As soon as her legs were crossed and she was relatively comfortable, she closed her eyes and began the breathing Anna had taught her. Soon came the flame, and she slowly started tossing in all the bad things that haunted her. She tried desperately to rid herself of them all, but a couple still hung on tight. It was frustrating, but she wouldn't let it ruin her concentration. The man that attacked her jumped out at her for a brief second before she was able to burn it away.

It took some time, but she did finally manage to temporarily rid herself of those thoughts. It was much harder without Anna there to guide her. She smiled slightly at her own personal strength, and kept the breathing rhythm going. Eventually, the noises from outside faded away, and all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. It was loud in her ears, but sort of relaxing at the same time. The sound was all around her. It encompassed her. It soothed and comforted her.

After a bit, the familiar tingle began to work its way up her spine. As soon as it started, Elsa fought with it to push it away. It was a struggle, and it seemed that her powers were winning. The moment she pushed at them, they would push back twice as hard. Her willpower seemed to mean nothing in this fight. Why she was having so much trouble now when she had no issue early that day made no sense. She couldn't remember what she did or how she did it. At first she thought it was the fear of being found out. But that didn't make any sense because fear never worked in her favor before. She was completely stumped.

Still, she continued to fight. It had worked its way about halfway up her spine, which was weird to think that she could pinpoint exactly where the sensation was. She could feel the buildup behind it trying to force its way through, like a square block through a round hole; her willpower was the hole. The back and forth battle was taxing, and it was causing Elsa's brow to sweat.

Just when it seemed like she was getting nowhere, it suddenly stopped. The tingling receded, and she felt like she was pushing on something that gave way. But the feeling was gone. She had managed to do it, and she didn't know how. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw that there was no ice to be found. The room was colder, but she could live with that.

Excitedly, Elsa jumped up and shouted. "Yes! I did it!"

This startled her sister awake, who groggily rubbed her eyes and looked at Elsa like she was a maniac. "What the hell is going on, Els? You scared the shit out of me."

"Anna, I did it! I didn't think I could, but I did! It was amazing!"

"What did you do?" Anna slowly asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I got up and tried meditating. At first I was scared that there was going to be ice all over the place, but when that tingling came I was able to push it away! It was hard though. But I did it!" Elsa said proudly.

Anna let out a big yawn and stretched her arms and back. "That's really good news, Els. But, the question is how do you make your powers show up when you want? I mean, now you know how to stop it, at least a little bit, so what about using them whenever you feel like it?"

"I don't know," Elsa said with a shrug. "We still haven't come up with a plan for that yet. But this is so much further than I ever got at Langdon's that it's remarkable. The fact that I can draw them out through meditation willingly is incredible, and I can now suppress them. This is huge, Anna. You have no idea how big of a step this is for me."

"I know it is. I'm really proud of you, even if it's something like 3 am. Just, try not to startle me next time, okay? Now get your ass back in bed and get some sleep."

Elsa let out an unrestrained giggle. "I don't know if I can sleep now. I'm too excited!"

"Well get back in bed anyway and pretend. I'm too tired to stay up much longer," Anna yawned.

"You're a real killjoy, you know that right?"

Anna lifted her head and glared at her sister, although it was almost too dark for Elsa to notice. "Do you have any idea how much I care at this time of night? Now shut the fuck up and get back to bed before I make you."

"You wouldn't," Elsa said with a grin.

Without warning, Anna grabbed Elsa's pillow and threw it as hard as she could at her sister's head. Elsa ducked, of course, and laughed.

"Elsa, I love you and I missed you terribly, but right now I want to kill you," Anna threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," the blonde taunted.

"Okay, that's it. I've had enough of your shit." Anna grunted as she forced herself up and threw herself at her sister, tackling her and sending them both to the floor with a loud thud.

They wrestled around on the floor, trying to outmaneuver one another so they could end up on top. Elsa would grab hold of Anna's ankle and twist, flipping them over and pinning her to the ground only for the redhead to grab her by the wrists and flip her over onto her back. Eventually the whole thing ended with Anna on top and pinning both of Elsa's hands to the floor above her head.

"Give up yet?" Anna breathed as she was winded.

Elsa tested the grip Anna had on her and surrendered. "Okay, you win! I'll go back to bed! Just get off of me already!"

Releasing her sister, Anna grabbed her by the braid and dragged her back to the lumpy mattress on the floor. Elsa hissed in pain, but gave in and followed after grabbing her pillow. Once they were situated back in bed, she giggled almost hysterically.

"What the hell is so funny?" Anna asked.

"We haven't done that since we were little," Elsa tried to reply through her giggling fit. "It was actually fun. I haven't had fun in a long time."

Rolling her eyes at the blonde, Anna flopped back down onto her pillow and rolled onto her back. "You choose weird times to try and have fun. Even if it kind of was."

"Do you forgive me for waking you up now?" Elsa asked as she flopped down onto her own pillow.

"Ugh. I guess so. I mean, I kind of have to since you're my sister and all."

"Yeah, I love you too. Have a good night."

"I was having a good night before you woke me up," Anna muttered beneath her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I said nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"For the love of God, Elsa, good night."

00000

The riots had died down some by the following day, as had the fighting. The Russians were able to suppress the rebels enough to regain control of the streets, and now there was a curfew in place to keep order in the district. People were forced back into their homes, and no one was allowed on the streets for several days. It was driving Anna crazy because she hated being stuck inside, even though Kristoff had been fortunate enough to stay with them. Elsa thought that that should have pleased the feisty redhead. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. She was still inconsolable regardless of the benefits of having her boyfriend locked up with her.

 _At least she has someone._ Elsa wasn't really jealous, she just didn't understand why her sister was acting the way she was. From what everyone had told her, this wasn't the first time such restrictions were put in place. Practically every time the rebels attacked or tried something to get into the compound, a curfew was enacted and people were stuck indoors. Those found wandering the streets were typically beaten and either sent to the prison camp or returned home with bruises and possibly broken limbs.

The rain had returned rather heavily, and it cast everything in a sort of gray mist. It was rather dreary and depressing, and put a damper on Elsa's mood. Or rather, her sister's constant complaining was getting to her and making her slightly irritable. There was little she could do about it, too. For the first couple of days, she tried consoling her sister and feeling sorry for her. Then she tried distracting her, but that didn't last long at all. Now she was just trying to ignore her and her whining. It didn't help any that Kristoff hadn't said a word to her to get her to calm down.

Sasha didn't seem to mind any. If he did, he didn't let on that it was getting to him. He was off in his little corner of the living room field stripping his weapons and cleaning them. When that was finished, he moved onto sharpening and polishing his combat knife. After that, he pulled a badly worn and weathered book from his pack, leaned back, and started reading.

Curious, Elsa decided to remove herself from her perch near the window and wandered over to her friend. "What's that?" she asked as she took a seat next to him.

Giving her a sideways glance, he showed her the cover of the book. It didn't help any, as it was in a language she didn't understand. "It is a story that takes place in the future after a nuclear war. The main character has to learn how to survive in the fallout of a destroyed world. Then there is a conspiracy that the government had launched the nukes in order to control humanity and start testing on people. It is not too terribly different from what is happening now, and it was written in the '80s."

"What language is that on the cover?"

"It is Russian. It is not a bad book. I have read it many times."

Elsa let out a tired sigh and leaned her head back against the wall. "I could kill for a book to read. You know the only books I've ever read are the handbooks we had when they were teaching us how to read? I always wanted to read some sort of novel. Anything would be fine. Just something that sends me to another world for awhile."

"Maybe we can find some books around here once the curfew is lifted," Sasha suggested.

"That would be great. But where would we look? I haven't seen a library or even a bookstore here."

"You probably won't find much here," Anna interrupted. "A lot of stuff was destroyed, and people needed things to keep fires going during the winter. Tables, chairs, many of the trees in the district, even books. The Russians don't provide much during the winter, and people starve and freeze. It was really bad last winter. We had no food for almost two weeks, and they handed out blankets but only half the people got one. The resistance had to sneak in a bunch of supplies, and they had a sort of secretive food bank. But once word got around that they were doing that, the Russians shut them down."

"Yeah, quite a few people didn't make it through the winter last year. I don't know how we got lucky enough to survive, but we did. Eventually the Russians realized that people were dying on them and started rationing out food better. It wasn't until after Christmas that they did that though. This year they haven't been as stingy with ration cards, so most people are getting food at least every other week," Kristoff added.

Elsa's face fell as the others talked, and she started to feel rather depressed. While she was more than thankful for having found her family, the sorry state of affairs was taking its toll on her. She was incredibly worried about the people she loved and cared for, which now included Kristoff, but had no way of helping them just yet. Not while they were locked indoors, at least. What she needed to do was get them out of the district and back to Mother Margaret.

For awhile she was content with just listening to the rain hitting the roof and window, but then Anna would once again start up with her complaining and ruin her mood. After what seemed like an hour of constant crying and whining, Elsa snapped.

"Do you think you can shut up for five minutes, Anna? You're not the only one stuck inside. We're all suffering from this just like you," Elsa said rather irked.

"Jesus Christ Elsa, what the fuck is your problem?" Anna asked defensively.

"My problem is your incessant whining. You have been at it since you woke up this morning."

"So what? I'm not allowed to be pissed?"

"I didn't say that. You haven't stopped complaining all day. It's getting very tiresome," Elsa retorted. She was starting to get a little angry.

Anna scoffed at her and waved her arms erratically for emphasis. "You haven't been through this before, Elsa! Constant fear and being treated as a-"

"As a what, Anna? As a prisoner!? Do I need to remind you what happened to me!?" Elsa was now shouting.

Kristoff stood up and tried to get in between them, his hands up trying to quell the fighting. "Come on guys, this isn't necessary. Elsa, no one is trying to say that what you went through was any less that what we've dealt with. Alright? Anna just has a tendency to talk before fully thinking things through. She didn't mean what she was going to say either, did you babe?"

With a huff, Anna crossed her arms and looked down at the floor with a scowl. "No, I guess not."

"Okay, there we go. Now you two need to calm the hell down. We don't want another incident where someone storms off royally pissed over nothing. Babe, I love you but please shut up for a little while alright? And Elsa, don't take everything so personally. Anna has a big mouth and I think you've seen that plenty in the last week. I know you haven't really had the socialization that the rest of us have, so you just need to learn how to not let shit get to you."

Elsa simply nodded and looked away. There was nothing for her to really say. Kristoff handled the situation far better than she had expected, and he was right. She needed to not let things get to her. There were likely going to be plenty of situations in her life where someone was going to be mean just for the sake of being mean. If she was going to make it through, she had to just let things go.

There was a sudden knock on the door that silenced everyone in the room. When the knock occurred again, Anna ran to the door and opened it. Elsa couldn't see who it was she was talking to, but it sounded like a man. They only spoke briefly before Anna closed the door and returned.

"That was Alex," she said, mostly speaking to Kristoff. "He said that they'll be moving tonight if we want in."

Kristoff started scratching the back of his head as he thought. "I don't know. The curfew is still in effect, and they're taking a huge risk at getting caught. Not to mention it's a suicide run anyway. How do they plan on breaking in?"

"I'm not sure. He said they'd have a briefing first, and if we decided that it would be too risky then we could back out."

"What are you two talking about?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, the plan to break into the prison camp and rescue everyone," Anna said as she turned to her sister. She had forgotten that Elsa wasn't in on the details yet.

"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to let you go on that insane mission," Sarah said from her seat by the window. For some reason, she had remained silent the last several days. This was the first time she had spoken up about anything.

Anna rolled her eyes at her. "Mom, seriously, relax. I doubt any of us are going. But I do want to know what the plan is. If they're rescuing dad, then I want to at least know what is going on."

"I want in," Elsa said suddenly.

Everyone in the room turned their attention towards her. "Elsa, you are not going!" Sarah commanded.

"Mom, besides Sasha, I'm the only other one in this room capable of handling this. After everything I have been through in the last two weeks, I think I'm more than qualified to go. But like Anna said, I at least want to know what the plan is."

"You are not going, girl," Sasha finally said. "You know how to handle yourself yes, but you still need a lot of practice with that gun. Besides, how many times I have had to tell you that the rebels will only get you killed?"

"But I need to get my dad out of there!" Elsa exclaimed urgently.

"Why don't you go with us Sasha? Just to see what they're all about," Kristoff offered.

Sasha shook his head and laughed. "You think I am that stupid, boy? That I would get involved with them? No thank you. If you want to go play soldier and fight the Russians, go ahead. I have done my time and will not do it again."

"What, are you a coward?" Anna asked. It was clear she was getting worked up again.

"No. I just have no desire to walk into my death. Do you want to know how many confirmed kills I have? Just from my military career I have fifty-two. That is over the course of eight years. I was in the special operations unit back home. After I left the military? I lost track. I have killed too many to count. That is what happens when you have nothing left to live for and turn to crime to fill your life with meaning. I have also killed countless Russians. So do not tell me that I am a coward, girl," Sasha said coolly.

"Then why not fight? Why not stand up against the Russians? You clearly hate them as much as we do!"

"Like I said. I did my time. I have no interest in going to war again."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "You may not be a coward, but you sure are selfish. You refuse to life a finger to help the people that need it most!"

"He helped me! He didn't even have to!" Elsa interrupted angrily. "Why are you getting so defensive? So what if he doesn't want to fight! It's his choice!"

Anna let out a frustrated groan before turning towards the bedroom and slamming the door shut. Everyone was quiet after that for a bit. Sarah had returned her attention to looking out the window, Kristoff just stood there shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, and Sasha went back to reading his book. The only sound that could be heard was the rain pouring down outside.

Elsa was still angry, and in her opinion she had every right to be. Her sister had been acting increasingly stubborn over the past week, and it was getting to everybody. There was no appeasing her and her ideals. From what her mother had told her, Anna got her attitude from their father. He was even more idealistic and stubborn than she was. When it came time to do something about the situation they were all in, he was the first to stand up and volunteer. That's why the resistance loved him so much. He wasn't really a fighter, but he was a doer. At least, that's what Sarah and Anna told her.

Leaning back against the wall, Elsa banged her head several times before getting weird looks from Sasha and Kristoff. For her, it was a way to de-stress. It helped to take her mind off of things a little. She suddenly felt a little guilty about the whole thing with Anna. She didn't mean to be so short with her. But she was fed up with Anna's attitude. If there were some sort of middle ground, that would have helped. Instead, Elsa was going to have to be the mature one and apologize.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa decided it was time to make things right between her and her sister. It did no one any good for them to be at each others throats. The tension in the tiny two bedroom apartment was thick enough to cut with a knife, and she had to put a stop to that. So, she stood up and walked nervously towards the bedroom. When she knocked and didn't get any sort of response, she opened the door slowly and slipped inside.

What she found she wasn't expecting. There Anna was, curled up on the bed and shuddering as she cried silently into her pillow. Immediately Elsa sat beside her and tried to give her a somewhat awkward hug. She cooed and rubbed her sister's arm and back in the vain effort that it would calm her down. It seemed to work a little, but not enough for her tastes.

"Sweetie, it's okay. I'm really sorry for snapping at you earlier. I think I'm getting cabin fever, just like you. I think everyone is. But please don't think I hate you, because I don't. I was just being grumpy," Elsa said quietly.

"It's okay," Anna said as she sniffled. "I just can't keep doing this. I try so hard Elsa. I try so fucking hard to stay strong for mom and you, and I can't anymore. I miss dad. I want to get us out of here. I have been trying for three years to get us out. Every time the resistance has some way of doing it, the Russians shut them down. I just want out, Elsa. I am so sick of this life."

"I know. It's not fair that we have to live like this. I won't pretend to fully understand the situation or how it got this bad, but I do know that there has to be a way out of it. If I could escape a maximum security underground research and testing center, then we can get out of this hellhole. It's just going to take time. We will find a way. But not if we are ripping each other apart. We can't fight like this. I waited too long to reunite with you guys to end up like this."

Anna smiled at that. She had waited a very long time as well, and never thought that they'd see each other again. "I know I put on a show of being tough and opinionated. But I can't keep it up all the time. Even Kristoff has only seen me break down a couple of times. But there have been countless nights where I'm alone and I just cry. I feel like a wuss. I just want dad back. He'd know what to do."

"We're going to get him back," Elsa said with determination. "We will go to that meeting tonight and find out what is going on. And don't worry about Sasha. I'll talk him into going. Trust me. He'll probably have a better time hearing it from me than from you, especially when you get so defensive like you did."

"Yeah, I might have went overboard with that. I should apologize," Anna said as she sat up and gave her sister a hug. "Let's not fight like that again. We're better than that. Tonight, we're going to find a way to get dad back."


End file.
